To get things launched (pun intended!), we are so excited to announce that we are working with Auroch Digital to bring Mars Horizon: BLAST OFF! to Gameboard!

In Mars Horizon: BLAST OFF! each player aims to complete the first crewed mission to Mars.  To achieve this galactic task, you run your own space agency, making all the key decisions: which rockets to build, what missions to run, and where to spend resources. Take risks to make space-history.

• Number of Players: 1 - 4 
• Playing time: 20 - 60 mins 
• Age rating: 9+ 
• Gameplay: Competitive, solo or coop card and dice game

We have been making tremendous progress with game studios and indie developers to bring their games to Gameboard.  Starting this month we will be rolling out all of the incredible partners and games coming to Gameboard for launch this Fall!

With all of our partners and games, we focus on four key Gameboard “enhancements”:

•  Physical object integration: When does it make sense to use a mini/meeple vs a digital token?
•  3D Touch: How can we replicate the tactile and action motions of tabletop even with digital pieces?
•  Private Screen: What information needs to be on the shared display versus hidden in your player drawer or on your private screen?
•  Community: How do we facilitate matching of game sessions while providing a lasting connection and safe digital experience. 

We’d love to hear from you on what games do you think would fit the above “enhancement” criteria? Please let us know in the comments!

Hardware Update

Gameboards are here!!!  We are so excited to have our alpha Gameboards state-side and in-hand. We are currently optimizing our software with the hardware.  This is a critical step to getting our full production run going.

UX Update

Jenny has been doing yeoman's work on the UX/UI and it’s starting to pay off! We had some incredibly valuable player feedback sessions at our lab in Boulder last month. Our design continues to get cleaner and more intuitive. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Software Update

While we (not-so-)patiently waited for our first Gameboard hardware, we have been knocking out some critical software architecture.

Machine Learning

Travis has been working on building the training data set for our machine learning algorithm. This algorithm is key for recognizing pieces, objects, gestures, etc. during gameplay.

Companion App SDK

Fernando has made some incredible progress on creating the dev tools needed for our developers to target the companion app. This framework enables game developers to put any information (cards, dice, controllers, other mechanics, etc.) on the private device for enhanced game play and interaction.

Gameboard OS

Frank continues to astound us with his pace of translating our previous Linux development and UX/UI work into our own Android Gameboard OS. By the end of March, we will be able to start play-testing and gathering more feedback from you!  Please let us know in the comments if you are in the Boulder/Denver area and would like to come to the lab to playtest!

Shipping/Presale Update

We are on-track for delivering all units.  Developers can request units as soon as March. Influencers can request them as early as June.  All KickStarter backers will get their Gameboards by fall 2021, but that is just the beginning.

We are not just creating a Gameboard appliance with a few games to fulfill the Kickstarter project. We are creating an entire gaming ecosystem that will continue to grow and add games, integrations, and hardware throughout the gaming universe.

Hardware is a numbers game. We have order minimums we need to hit to keep the Gameboard price where we have it.  The higher the Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ), the less expensive we can make Gameboard. As such, we will be launching a formal post-Kickstarter, pre-order campaign on our website.

Roland will be setting up a referral program (more discounts & incentives for our backers!!) to help ensure the long-term success of Gameboard. We are all part of the gaming community and we can’t do this without all of us coming together to effect real change.  Gameboard isn’t just a device, a game, a company; it is all of us.