Manufacturing your board game in China has a lot of potential advantages. However, there are risks to manufacturing in China, and it’s important that you, as a game creator, are aware of these risks and what can happen when things go wrong.

At Hero Time, our #1 goal is to make sure the process of creating your board game is a smooth and successful one from start to finish. However, we understand that it’s natural to look at all of your options when it comes to creating your game. 

When you’re assessing board game manufacturer in China, be on the lookout for the following common problems:

Lack of Communication 

Many China-based manufacturers have a hands-on sales process to close the deal, but offer poor communication while actually manufacturing your board game or card game.

This lack of manufacturing can lead to lots of issues, including a difference between the game you thought you were ordering and what you actually receive. It can also result in disputes on pricing, materials and how your game will be shipped once it’s finished.

To avoid this problem, look for a manufacturer with an established track record, as well as a history of good communication with customers 

You can read reviews from more than 40 of our previous customers on Trustpilot, which verifies reviews for authenticity.

English Language Barrier

When you’re making thousands of copies of your board game, you don’t want critical details to get lost in translation. 

Many board game and card game factories in China try to provide service in English, but don’t have a high enough English level to fully understand your needs. This can result in unclear or confusing communication and, in many cases, mistakes in your finished product.

Even factories with English-speaking sales reps can make these mistakes, as the person you communicate with in English may not be directly involved in the production of your game.

To avoid this problem, make sure that you’re working with English proficient staff who are directly involved in managing your game’s production.

Our creator assistance staff have direct contact with our production team throughout the entire process of making your game, which “shortens the distance” between you and our factory and means your needs are clearly and accurately communicated.

Low Quality Materials

The right materials can make or break your board game. In fact, we have produced a series of guides for our customers explaining how common game materials work and why it’s so critical that they’re chosen effectively.

It’s essential that your game board uses the right cardboard, that your cards use the right card stock and printing method, and that your meeples, dice and other components are made using the correct materials and manufacturing techniques. 

It’s also vital that your game boxes are made to the right standards, as flimsy boxes will quickly deteriorate once they’re used. 

Unfortunately, many manufacturers take advantage of the complexity of this process and select cheap, low quality materials to use during game production. This approach saves money for the factory and lets them make a larger profit on your order.

For you, as a board game creator, the outcome is often a game that looks cheap, feels cheap, and lacks the durability that your customers expect.

To avoid this problem, make sure you understand the exact materials you need, or work with a manufacturer who will clearly explain the necessary materials to you. 

We work directly with our customers throughout the entire process to not only choose the right materials for your game, but also to explain why each material is the best fit for you.

We focus on quality materials to help you make a game that not only looks and feels premium, but is built to last and stay on your customers’ shelves for decades to come.

Low Salaries & Low Employee Satisfaction

Unfortunately, many game factories pay low salaries that, expectedly, result in unhappy, poorly motivated employees. Many factories pay their employees close to the minimum wage, which in most Chinese provinces, is between $1.50 and $2 USD per hour.

This not only produces a poor working environment with unmotivated, unhappy employees — it can also result in lower quality output for you as a board game creator. 

It also doesn’t reduce costs for you by a significant amount. Because of the lack of care that this approach creates, it’s more likely that you’ll run into production issues with these manufacturers that delay your project’s completion and increase the total cost of making your board game.

To avoid this problem, ask any company you consider about their employee satisfaction, work environment, and employee compensation. 

We take a variety of steps to make sure our employees are compensated fairly, work in a safe, friendly environment, and feel appreciated at work:

• • • We offer significantly above-market compensation for our staff.
    • We provide a personalized management approach, instead of one-size-fits-all.
    • Our employees receive drinks, snacks, and other meals during the day.
    • We treat our employees as friends and partners.

As a manufacturer, we’ve found that offering higher salaries not only makes our employees feel more appreciated, — it also greatly increases commitment and improves our results. 

We’re happy to share how we take care of our team and foster a positive working environment that’s better for our team and you as a board game creator.

No Accountability for Issues

If something goes wrong with your game, who can you trust to fix the problem? Unfortunately, with many game manufacturers, there’s no one to bat for you if there’s something unexpected with your board or card game, its packaging, or any other part of the process. 

This is a serious problem, because approximately 50% of board game publishers report having some manufacturing-related issues with their finished products. 

To avoid this problem, we work with you throughout the game design, development and manufacturing process to make sure everything is where it should be.

In fact, we’ve built an entire management system to manage your order and issue detailed and actionable reports on every step of production. 

These include sample issue reports, production updates and detailed quality control (QC) to let you know what’s going on as it happens and keep you in the loop as your board game is being made. 

We understand that your game is your creation, and you need to know what’s going on so we can solve problems before they happen, not after.

We also have a detailed, clearly explained Terms and Conditions page that explains the process of working with us, so you’re always aware of the precise terms of our agreement.