Interview
NEW FOR 2022 The Wizard of Oz
but we thought, what can we do more proactively to leverage all the innovation and entrepreneurial potential that’s out there?” explains Bleyer. “There are so many smart, creative and passionate people that we could work with, but in a traditional publisher set-up, you have limited capacity. So we said, let’s give ourselves a tool to tap into that creativity.” Next Venture’s first partner, announced
in February this year, is Gamefound, a spin-off of the successful board game publisher and crowdfunding expert Awmaken Realms. Gamefound aims to help board game developers interact with their community and transform ideas into games; following a soft launch in 2021, the company has already hosted more than 30 campaigns, which raised over US$22 million in total funding. What made them the perfect fit for
Ravensburger? “They have really strong founders, they
have a compelling vision, and for us, it’s a great opportunity to broaden our reach and our connection to the games creator community, to gain even better and earlier insight into new trends and topics, and extend our network to reach up-and-coming designers that we might want to work with,” says Bleyer. “It was also good timing. Gamefound was in beta phase, they had done the first couple of campaigns, you could see it worked, and how a combination of capital and industrial expertise could help lift the company to the next level.” Next Ventures, Bleyer asserts, is more than an investment fund. “Many large corporations set up a venture capital fund as a means to invest capital and maybe get some strategic gains, but we thought for us, it would be more fitting to have a business-building approach that includes an element of investing in startups, but only in those cases where we can offer some kind of strategic and operational benefit to those companies. “Hopefully, with Gamefound, we can contribute some industry expertise, and help to broaden their scope. Being a recognised industry player, we can add some credibility and stability to a very young venture and convince other large players to work with them, too.” Other Next Ventures partners have
yet to be announced, but investments could, in theory, be made across any of Ravensburger’s core sectors: publishing, toys, games, edutainment and children’s books. “When choosing a partner, we’re looking for great product innovation and a clear strategy,” Bleyer explains. “Also, do we have a shared mission? Do we align
Spring/Summer 2022 | ToyNews | 23
Adventure Book Game This beautifully designed chapter-book game features optional song challenges and stunning artwork inspired by the original sets of the 1939 movie. Suitable for 1–4 players aged 10 and up.
Zingo!*
Redesigned and repackaged, ThinkFun bestseller Zingo! joins the Ravensburger line-up having already achieved 20,000 fi ve- star reviews from happy players. This educational game will be
supported by a full marketing programme.
Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side Players can opt to be Darth Vader, General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, Moff Gideon or Kylo Ren in this immersive 2–4 player game, which features iconic ships from the Star Wars universe. Ages 10 and up.
Echoes: The Microchip In the latest addition to Ravensburger’s Audio Murder Mystery series, players must use a deck of illustrated cards and spine-tingling sound clues to complete a story. Suitable for ages 14+.
CreArt
Hugely successful in Germany and Italy, this high-quality paint-by- numbers range for kids and adults is taking the UK by storm, capitalising on the trend for screen-free, mindful activities.
* Prototype packaging
on the way we want to run our businesses and contribute to kids’ and families’ lives? Partners need to have a fundamental understanding of why we are in the toy industry and do what we do.” There is no cap on funding when it comes to Next Ventures. Money will be allocated from each year’s budget, Bleyer explains, with the company expecting to make two or three investments a year for several years to come. “There’s a broader multi-year investment plan that goes into the tens of millions behind this,” he says. “Next Ventures is only part of it, because in addition to internal and external innovation we are investing quite strongly in building our business internationally. “It’s a benefit of being part of a family-
owned business that’s almost 140 years old – it gives you a different perspective on what it means to make a long-term strategic investment. We’re not just focused on our quarterly results; of course, we want to be successful every year, but with an initiative like Next Ventures we can credibly say, this has a five- to 10-year horizon and beyond in terms of innovation and effort. And that is a strategically really privileged place to work from. “If you look at Ravensburger from the outside I don’t know how much you can see,” Bleyer concludes. “But there’s a lot happening in our company behind the scenes, in terms of cultural change, technology, processes, and making a big step up to become a much more international, even more innovation-driven, more modern company. And I think we’re proving successful on that track.”
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