The licensing deal brings three of the most popular tabletop games to comics. Pandemic and Mysterium both were best-sellers in Fall 2019 (see “Top 10 Hobby Channel Board Games—Fall 2019”) and Pandemic made the 2020 list as well (see “Top 10 Hobby Channel Board Games—Fall 2020”). Legend of the Five Rings was one of the top RPGs of Fall 2018 (see “Top 5 Roleplaying Games—Fall 2018”).
In announcing the deal, Source Point Press President Jacob Way noted the popularity of Pandemic even as people were coping with a pandemic in real life. “This is the first time in modern history that the world has been connected by a shared experience,” he said. “This experience has brought people together to fight for a common good, and that level of cooperation and hopefulness is what makes Pandemic the game so powerful to so many people. We are honoured to be telling such an impactful story with one of the most well-known board game IPs in existence.”
For his part, Asmodee Licensing Manager for Publishing and Consumer Goods Alexander Thieme highlighted the attraction the new comics will have for both gamers and non-gamers. “Many fans regularly dive into these three gaming universes, sharing their experiences with friends and family by playing together both virtually and around the kitchen table,” he said. “For many, immersing themselves in the stories they experience becomes an important fixture in their social life. Enabling them through the medium of comics to dive deeper into the amazing stories that they play on the tabletop will not only be entertaining but also enrich the gaming experience itself. Comic fans on the other hand will soon also be able to discover the richness, drama, and mystery each of these game universes call their own and which, until recently, were limited to the games themselves.”
