Essen Spiel, organized by Friedhelm Merz Verlag GmbH & Co KG, is the largest event in the world based around tabletop gaming. Held in Essen, Germany, every October, this event draws in an attendance that is now topping 190,000 attendees.
Over the course of this year’s four-day event, at least six small companies were targeted in various ways and suffered losses of cash, product and personal effects. One individual was apprehended in connection with a particular event, but the cash had been taken by an accomplice and there was no recovery. Although security at the show and the Essen police were notified, there was not much recourse to take and to these companies, often run by families, friends or even individually, these are heavy costs to bear.
In total, these six companies listed below lost more than $20,000, although totals are not final. These are small to medium sized companies, run by a handful of individuals, often just family and friends in some cases. SPIEL is a year-long preparation process, and the profits from this show are sometimes the life’s blood for the company, allowing them to continue creating and publishing the games for their customers.
Recovery efforts are underway. All the companies agree that the largest concern is bringing to light the need for changes and improvements in SPIEL’s security, but recouping these losses follows closely behind. Information regarding the various incidents, including a response from organizer Merz Verlag can be found here.
Donation Drives
- Japanime Games’ “Catch an International Thief” donation drive on their website focuses on their title Kemomimi Panic, Crescent Moon, and their recent launch of international versions of Tanto Cuore. You can find out more here.
- Artipia Games’ “A Fair, a Robbery and a Promo Pack” Kickstarter campaign funded within hours of launch, and offers supporters five new promo cards for their games. You can find out more here.
