We’ve always done our best to strive for independence and integrity - and we do appreciate that projects like this mean additional caveats, conversations, and potential complications!
I think it’s great that people are asking these questions, because it reassures us that all the work that we’ve put in to avoid conflicts of interest throughout the years haven’t gone unnoticed: we’re one of a vanishingly small number of outlets who don’t accept money from publishers for anything and everything - this has by no means been easy, and it does frequently feel like something that’s frequently taken for granted, or simply overlooked.
It would be silly to be dismissive of the financial incentives: we continue to be heavily reliant on community donations to keep doing what we’re doing - and in 2024 we’re navigating a media landscape in which we’re competing for donations with a very wide variety of companies, many of which perhaps don’t strictly need it.
We’ve also seen a steep increase in the general cost of living - this means our wages don’t stretch as far, and it also means that an awful lot of folks no longer have much disposable income. Finally - and we frankly don’t ever talk about this publicly, as it’s almost impossible to do so without looking as if we’re throwing shade: we’re also one of the few outlets in this industry that consistently ensure that we pay people fairly.
So yes - it’s really important to us, too, that we do what we can to maintain & uphold our independent criticism - but that’s only one of the aspects in which we constantly strive to do things the right way, and for the right reasons.
I think what I’d really like to convey is that this is a continuation of those principles, rather than a step away from them. We’re doing something new, we’re mindful of that, and we’re putting in an awful lot of time and work to ensure we do it properly.
To directly address some of the cynicism I’ve seen - this isn’t just us whacking our logo on some boxes. We are picking the games, using our influence to bring back designs that otherwise might not see the light of day, AND using our clout to ensure that long-awaited reworkings don’t end up being expensive “deluxe” boxes full of plastic bloat.
After picking the games, we are working as consultants - tweaking the games and offering extensive theme & art direction that we feel will make these games pop. The final graphic design & colouring for these first two placeholder covers was all done by me! (including the mistakes! So sorry about that!)
And while yes, it would be churlish to ignore that we might make a bit of money out of this process, I don’t want to under-play the fact that WE REALLY ENJOY DOING THIS? I’ve personally worked directly now - and indirectly - on about 4 or 5 different games. I’ve been able to develop new skills doing this that have made our work at SU&SD better; we’ve found the process hugely gratifying, and I think we’re broadly speaking pretty GOOD at it?
Realistically though, do we have time to design a board game ourselves? No! Would we like to? MAYBE? In the meantime, it’s honestly so exciting to get the chance to dabble in some of these areas while also having time to keep doing what we DO. Does this make things more complicated? Yes! Especially because we really want to ensure that we make all of these games as great as we can.
It’s a headache, absolutely. But I’m convinced that it’s worth it. I think our team is creatively and critically the best in the business, and ensuring that we’ve got a wide enough scope of new things that we can try is a vital part of keeping it like that. And at the same time I can’t lie - it’s an increasingly difficult time to operate a media business that doesn’t do 95% of the things that media companies do.
And I don’t say this to complain, or as some kind of shrugging-off of any criticism - but I don’t think it’s sensible or responsible at this stage to rely entirely on community donations: In the event that things get bumpy, I’m not willing to have that pressure being directed at our audience. At the same time - I want SU&SD to continue! I like it! It’s cool!
TLDR: With the cards we’re all being dealt in 2024, there are no perfect solutions. We’ll continue to take our choices seriously, we’ll continue to take your TRUST really seriously, and while some of the implications of this latest step are fuzzy - in some ways what we’re doing really hasn’t changed at all: we’re putting a lot of care & work & love into making things that we think you’re gonna love.
Thanks for listening!
-Matt