Hero Time Academy · Step 6 of 10
Board Game Manufacturing Process
The board game manufacturing process turns your finished files into boxed games, in a factory, in about 30 to 90 days. Manufacturing is step 6 of the ten steps in how to make a board game. These guides explain how each part of a game is made, how to plan the print run, and how to choose and work with a manufacturer.
This board game manufacturing guide is a map: each section below names a part of manufacturing a board game and points you to the guides that explain it.
How Games Are Made
A board game is not made in one machine but on several production lines, one for each kind of part, which meet at the end on the assembly line. Our guide to how board games are made follows each line step by step, from the printing press to the shrink-wrapped box. The paper, cardboard, wood, plastic and fabric those lines use are compared in board game materials. Before the real run, a game is usually tested as a prototype: board game prototype printing explains what a prototype can and cannot show. Print on demand vs offset printing explains the two printing methods behind prototypes and mass production, and how are trading cards made covers the extra steps of a collectible card game.
Planning Your Print Run
The decisions you make before production decide its price and its timing. How many copies to print covers the quantity, how long it takes to manufacture a board game the timeline, and making your game in several languages the language versions. The problems that most often delay a first game are collected in the most common problems, so you can avoid them early.
Choosing a Manufacturer
The right manufacturer depends on your game, your quantity and your market. How to choose a board game manufacturer lists what to compare and what to ask. Board game manufacturers by country names the factories in the USA, Europe, the UK and Australia, with shipping times from China. The certificates that show a factory meets international standards are explained in Disney FAMA and other factory certificates.
Next Step: Board Game Safety Tests
A game played by children must pass the safety tests of every market it is sold in, and the tests are planned before production ends. Continue with safety tests for games, step 7 of the ten.