Smoothie Wars

Product Name: Smoothie Wars - Board Game
Website: www.smoothiewars.com
Facebook/Instagram: SmoothieWars - Smoothiewars
Trademark Status: Trademarked in the UK, pending in the US.

Smoothie Wars is a fast-paced, strategy board game where players sell smoothies on a tropical island, combining fun with the basics of microeconomics. Designed for all ages, it’s quick to learn and offers a competitive gameplay experience.

Problem & Inspiration

The goal behind Smoothie Wars was to create a game that’s easy to learn yet educational, introducing players to basic microeconomic principles. The inspiration came from the need to offer families and friends a fun, competitive way to understand economics through a dynamic game concept.

Challenges in Development

One of the main challenges was ensuring that the game’s rules were robust and balanced for both basic and advanced play modes. Extensive testing was required to prevent any loopholes in gameplay and to ensure an engaging experience for all player levels.

Working with Innovate

The experience with Innovate was highly beneficial. Their team provided expert guidance on every stage of development, offering creative insights and support with the prototyping process. They were instrumental in shaping the final design of the game.

Manufacturing Approach

Rather than pursuing a licensing deal right away, the decision was made to self-manufacture a small volume of games. By tendering out the production to several manufacturers, Smoothie Wars was able to ensure rapid delivery, particularly in time for the Christmas 2024 market. The focus was on delivering quickly rather than maximizing production margins at this stage.

Crowdfunding Campaign

To complete the final stages of manufacturing and bring Smoothie Wars to a wider audience, we are excited to announce the launch of our crowdfunding campaign today on Kickstarter! The campaign will help us finish the manufacturing process and get the game into the hands of players everywhere. You can support the campaign at: Kickstarter - Smoothie Wars.

Lessons Learned

The key takeaway for anyone embarking on a similar journey is to play-test as much as possible. Family, friends, and external testers can provide valuable feedback during early development. Additionally, visiting game expos and seeking expert input is vital to understanding the market. Knowing when to stop iterating and finalizing the game based on player feedback is also critical.

Highlights of the Process

One of the standout moments was receiving the first prototype, arranged by Innovate, and seeing it come to life during the initial play-testing phases. This marked a significant milestone in the journey of developing Smoothie Wars.

Future Plans

Depending on the demand, plans for expansion packs and alternative game versions are already in motion. We’re also exploring the potential for competitive play, including institution-versus-institution tournaments.

Testimonial

"Innovate provided a highly professional service, with expert input into both the design and prototyping stages of Smoothie Wars. Their team guided us through the entire process, helping to refine our concept and deliver a top-notch prototype. I would certainly work with them again."