From the Workshop to the Podium: Asia Reinvents the Game

Beyond recent critical successes like Trio, Odin, or Bomb Busters, the Asian gaming scene is at a crossroads. Is it doomed to remain the world's factory, supplier of original games, or can it become a major consumption market for international publishing? How to structure the business between mature hubs like Japan or Korea and the explosion of new scenes in Taiwan, the Philippines, or Thailand? To analyze these distribution and scouting challenges, we welcome Kevin Kim, David Preti, Ken Suzuki, and Patrick Flanagan.

The press conference will be held in French.

Speakers:

• David Preti: A very important figure in the global board game sector, having notably collaborated with Fantasy Flight Games, he is one of the pioneers in Crowdfunding and the originator of Zombicide, one of the cornerstones of Cool Mini (before the fall). He speaks French, Italian, English, and a few bits of Japanese.
• Kevin Kim: After holding development and international business roles at Korea Boardgames (2010-2015) and then at Happy Baobab (until 2017), he founded Mandoo Games in 2017, then Asmodee Korea in 2020. After simultaneously holding the position of General Director of Asmodee Korea, he returned to Mandoo Games in April 2025.
• Ken Suzuki: Ken is the head of the Board Games division at Arclight Games. With an excellent understanding of national and international markets, Ken oversees internal game development and selects foreign titles to localize for the Japanese market. His missions are not limited to game production: he also plays a key role in organizing "Game Market," Japan's largest board game event, which attracts an average of 30,000 visitors.
• Patrick Flanagan: Patrick is the head of the International Affairs team at Arclight Games. Ensuring the link between Arclight's original titles and foreign publishers, his efforts have allowed popular games such as ito, Cat and the Tower, and Nanatoridori to be published in multiple languages and regions worldwide. Passionate about board games and their community, he is committed to continuing to bring people together across cultures and linguistic barriers.