The Journey of Broadway Toys: Building a Global Board Game Publishing Brand

Founded by board game enthusiasts in Hong Kong, Broadway Toys has grown from a local publisher into a global publisher of original titles. In this interview, they share lessons from international markets, COVID challenges, and their plans for the future.

Q: Please give the readers a short introduction to Broadway Toys. What is its origin story, and how was the business founded?

Broadway Toys began in 2012 as a company focused on localising and distributing board games in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China. Founded by a group of board game enthusiasts, our goal is to “Let more people share what we love”. Up till today, we have published over 750 games from around the world.

In 2018, we organised a board game design competition for local designers. In 2019, we published our first original game – Dim Sum Jam. Since then, we have actively collaborated with designers to develop and publish original games. We also bring these games to international game conventions such as Tokyo Game Market, Gen Con and Spiel Essen to promote them globally.

Q: Broadway Toys has transitioned from primarily localising games to creating original titles. What sparked this shift, and how has it changed your creative process?

Everything started with our first board game design competition in 2018 where we worked with game designers to come up with the best game they could. And that set us up for our next stage in original game publishing.

Q: When deciding which games to publish or localise, what are the key factors you look at? Is it mechanics, theme, market demand, or something else?

Publishing and localisation are managed by two different teams. The criteria for selecting games from these 2 teams are quite different. For localisation, we focus heavily on whether the games will work well in our target markets. This involves considering a wide range of factors, including market demand, pricing, timing, distribution channel, etc. For publishing, we prioritise creativity that surprises us. This could come from innovative mechanics, component design, themes, or other distinctive elements.

What both teams share is that anyone in the company, not just members of these two teams, can speak up and strongly advocate for including a particular game in our catalogue. We call this the credit card system :). As long as someone is confident and willing to stand by their choice, it can override existing decisions.

Q: Broadway Toys publishes titles across multiple regions. What differences in player preferences have you observed internationally, and are there particular genres or mechanics that tend to be more popular in certain regions?

This is a very difficult question. It is very common that for a game we expect players to love to perform poorly, and vice versa. Generally speaking, smaller party games tend to be more popular than heavy strategy games. That said, games like Castles of Burgundy are also very well received.

To answer in another way, trivia games and paper-and-pencil games are generally less preferred. Well, there are exceptions of course :)

Q: What has been the most unexpected takeaway from taking Broadway Toys to international markets and working with overseas partners?

We have learnt that different markets respond to board games in very different ways. Some countries are highly receptive to new titles and experimental mechanics, while others prefer familiar genres or specific play styles.

Q: Expanding overseas can be both exciting and challenging. What have been some key lessons learnt from bringing your games to international audiences?

The Wondrous Museum is a game released this year. The game requires five players to lay at least 10 cards in a line. In Hong Kong, where table space is often limited, we chose a very small and unique card size (38*88mm). However, when presenting the game to partners, we discovered that this size of card is generally not preferred. After reflecting on this, we realised that many overseas markets simply do not face the same space constraints.

As a publisher based in Hong Kong, we do not share many common assumptions with major board game markets. As a result, decisions that make sense to us may not translate well internationally. This applies not only to component size, but also to artwork, preferred genres, and themes.

We are still learning.

Q: Over the past decade, what have been the most significant challenges Broadway Toys faced, and how did you overcome them?

During the COVID period, most social interactions were suspended. Board games, as an activity that requires people to sit together, were heavily affected, especially our local retail partners. By that time, board games were usually played with friends during parties or gatherings. We had to reshape how consumers perceived board games.

First of all, we quickly built an online platform so that people could learn about games and place orders (we did not have our own e-commerce platform before COVID). We then promoted board games as an activity that you could enjoy with family members while staying at home. Unexpectedly, the number of solo gamers grew significantly, and this group remains strong today.

Q: Broadway Toys participates in events like TurnOn, Dice Con, and Spiel Essen. How do these experiences shape your relationship with the board game community, and what’s the most memorable moment you’ve had at these events?

We treat every event as an opportunity to listen. Meeting players in person allows us to gather candid comments, observe how people play, and notice subtle preferences that may not surface through online channels. These real‑time insights help us prioritise design changes and marketing choices more effectively than remote testing alone.

One of the most rewarding experiences has been seeing fans return year after year to follow our new releases. We now recognise more and more familiar faces at our booth at each event, and some attendees have become regular advocates for our games. This ongoing support is the clearest sign that we’re building a community, not just selling products.

When a game sells out at an event, it can be hectic for the team, but it is also incredibly validating. A sell‑out shows that the community believes in our work and is excited enough to buy on the spot—nothing communicates that level of endorsement better than a crowded table and empty boxes.

Q: Looking ahead, what are Broadway Toys’ plans for the next five years? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations you’re excited to share?

Over the next five years, Broadway Toys aims to amplify Asian voices in tabletop design by partnering with more talented designers across the region and bringing their games to a global audience. We are also launching a collaboration with Chesure, a new accessories brand, to deliver higher‑quality, more immersive board‑gaming experiences for players everywhere.

Q: For those interested in your work, where can they find more information about Broadway Toys?

To communicate with overseas gamers, we have Facebook and Instagram under Broadway Toys Limited En, where we regularly share our latest news and updates.

If you are a designer looking for a publisher to publish your work, you are more than welcome to drop us a message at bwdev@longshore.com.hk

We look forward to meeting people from all over the world 😊