Portland-based comics publisher Oni Press, home of the Eisner Award-winning comics Scott Pilgrim, Whiteout: Melt, Queen & Country, and Black Metal, has announced the launch of Oni Games, a new imprint dedicated to adapting the company’s creator-owned library of titles for the tabletop game market.

"As fans of the exciting developments and explosive growth in modern tabletop, we are excited to bring the same level of quality and execution in our creator-owned comics and graphic novels to the world of board games," said Oni Press’ VP of Creative/Business Development, Charlie Chu.

Oni has brought game industry veteran Steve Ellis on board to help manage the initiative.  Ellis is the co-designer of Dicey Goblins, Trains: Rising Sun, and Railways of the World: The Card Game.  He is also a founder of Portland game store Rainy Day Games.  "I look forward to working with many talented game designers and developers to bring some of the amazing Oni Press properties to life in new interactive ways," Ellis said of the new initiative.

Oni’s had some experience with the tabletop games world.  It partnered with Renegade Game Studios for Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Card Game (see "Bryan Lee O'Malley's 'Scott Pilgrim' Levels Up in Life"), and has received positive response for its recently launched Dead of Winter comic series based on the hit Plaid Hat Games’ board game (see "'Dead of Winter,' 'Made Men,' 'Spectacle'").  The company also collaborated with Pinnacle Entertainment Group to adapt Cullen Bunn’s weird west comic series The Sixth Gun for the Savage Worlds roleplaying game system (see "'The Sixth Gun' Goes Savage").

Fellow comic publisher IDW Publishing launched a tabletop gaming division in 2014 (see "IDW Games Launches with 'Kill Shakespeare'").