Apiary | a board game featuring bees in space

In April we wrote about the surprising popularity of board games and what might be contributing towards the phenomenal popularity of this genre of family entertainment.

One of the most in-demand titles featured in that article was a game called Wingspan; a bird-themed, engine building, strategy game that is a hellava lot more fun than how it sounds.

In fact, so popular, word on the street is that the company that produces Wingspan has sold more than 1 million copies of the game; a staggering number considering that this is a small, independent outfit, not Mattel or Hasbro.

It's safe to say that almost every small brand is challenged with one universal critical issue; differentiation.

Standing out and drawing attention from the right people in an over-crowded marketplace without selling a kidney to pay for it, is the key difference between success and failure in business.

The answer for many strategists is to swim in blue waters.

Play where nobody else is playing, offer something so unique and different from anything else available that customers can't help but notice.

That is exactly what the marketers of Wingspan, and now a new game, are very good at.

Stonemaier Games have a new game coming out at the end of this year called Apiary, and this time it's all about giant space bees.

Space bees as a theme may appear so outlandish and mad that you would be completely forgiven for spitting the sip of coffee in your mouth halfway across the room as you read this. But this is a board game marketer that made birds cool as an idea, so I wouldn't be so quick to laugh it off just yet.

Standing out by having confidence in marketing crazy ideas takes guts and perhaps a touch of madness. The alternative is to blend in and undoubtedly struggle.

The idea however of backing a purple cow (to use one of Seth Godin's famous analogues) is as relevant today as it has ever been.

More:

Apiary

In a far-distant future, humans no longer inhabit Earth. The cause of their disappearance (or perhaps their demise) is unknown, but their absence left a void ready to be filled by another sentient …

Stonemaier GamesJamey Stegmaier

Wingspan publisher Stonemaier Games’ next board game is full of bees

Wingspan publisher’s new board game, Apiary, could be the next big hit

PolygonCharlie Hall

Related:

What’s behind the rise in popularity of board games?

There seem to be a lot of people talking about board games and expressing their increasing love for playing all sorts of interesting new board games.

CherryflavaJon Cherry