In a bet on the growing importance of the U.S. market for tabletop games, LUDO FACT GmbH has made an acquisition that gives it a new location in North America.  The company has acquired a controlling interest in Jessup Paper Box of Lafayette, Indiana, a manufacturer of rigid packaging, game boards, and jigsaw puzzles. The LUDO FACT USA brand will be unveiled at Gen Con on August 4 as the new entity delivers its first game, Stronghold Games’ Terraforming Mars (see “Stronghold Games Takes on the Red Planet”).   

Jessup, founded in 1959, will continue operations as it has in the past, and add new production and manufacturing capabilities under its new ownership.  LUDO FACT had been seeking an acquisition for some time; the purchase of Jessup was effective on June 1. 

The new U.S. facility joins LUDO FACT production plants in Germany and the Czech Republic, and an office in Hong Kong.  The company is headquartered in Jettingen-Scheppach, Germany and produces over 14 million games a year in its manufacturing plants. 

LUDO FACT sees Kickstarter-funded games as part of the opportunity it’s targeting.  “With a U.S. presence along with new investment in expertise and manufacturing capability and capacity, we will be well-positioned to meet the U.S. market demand for high quality games,” LUDO FACT General Manager Philip Menge said.  “LUDO FACT will target some of its new U.S. capacity to produce games that emerge from campaigns on Kickstarter, a major creative force in the gaming industry.”