June 2024

It’s been four months since you heard from us in our update called Blockhunters v0.9. And a lot happened in just this quarter!

Last time, we shared the news about playtesting a hand-crafted prototype over dozens of times and announced the launch of our website with backstories about the 10 characters of our game. This time, we have even more exciting news to share!

Two weeks ago, we visited the factory in Danyang, China, where we received new prototypes. We then played and showcased this version at the Adopting Bitcoin event in Arnhem. Prior to that, we met the Bitcoin community at Bitcoin Atlantis and attended multiple other events.

STEM Authentication

In April, Blockhunters officially became a STEM.org Authenticated™ Educational Product. In other words, it upholds the standards set by STEM.org, ensuring it integrates vital STEM disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and it cultivates 21st-century skills and promotes diversity, socialization, imagination, and cognition.

Visit the factory

One major hurdle in the production of our game is finding a balance between low order quantities, high printing quality, and affordable production prices. Since Blockhunters is 100% crowdfunded and self-published, and we don’t want to sell our Bitcoin educational game to publishing companies, addressing these challenges is crucial. We are ambitious and eventually want to scale up while doing things right. However, we also need to be realistic: printing thousands of games in the first batch is impossible. We’re glad to have found a women-owned factory in China (near Shanghai) that’s perfect for our passion project, with opportunities to scale up if necessary.

After extensive research and months of clear communication with one of the partners, we decided to place an order for 5 prototypes from one of the contenders and also planned a visit to them. Four games were sent to Arnold in the Netherlands, while Emily, already on a trip to Asia, visited Danyang to pick up her copy and, more importantly, discuss the next steps with the printing company.

It was a fruitful meeting! We learned a lot about production methods, their way of working, and the additional services they can offer. We also discussed and examined each component of the game in detail, making improvements where possible.

Prototype

Our v0.99 prototype is a significant improvement compared to the previous version. It’s not just the addition of the box (which we never had before), but many details of the game have changed. Here are some examples:

• We created a factsheet with educational resources about the characters and game dynamics.
• We made coins with the REAL Bitcoin symbol. Previously, we received 3D-printed coins from the community, but they were plain white/orange.
• We now have a professional game box, much better than the shoebox we used before. 😉
• We decided to make a six-fold board instead of a four-fold box, to reduce the volume of the box, given that the game will be shipped to all corners of the planet.
• We implemented the branding language in the rulebook, board, and transaction cards.
• We updated the design of the characters. Previously, they were more photorealistic. Now, they are more cartoonish with better coloring, making them even more distinguishable from each other.

Conferences and events

Since our last update in late January, the Bitcoin community has enjoyed the game numerous times. We played the game at the Bitcoin Education Unconference in Madeira, attended meetups in Tokyo, Mexico City, Arnhem, Naaldwijk(Cryptowijs event) and other locations, and introduced the game to nocoiners as well.

At the Adopting Bitcoin conference, our new prototype was showcased to international attendees. Thanks to our partner, storeofvalue.eu, who handles all orders, Blockhunters was prominently visible at the entrance booth.

Emily visited Bitcoin Seoul, where Bitcoiners from around the world enjoyed the prototype. It’s amazing to see how the communities behind “universal money” and “board games” go hand in hand in so many places worldwide.

Roadmap

So.. When Blockhunters?

That’s a question that we’d love to answer in detail, but cannot do that yet. Producing a game is not just creating some design files and that’s it. It’s an endeavor with a lot of moving parts and with lots of surprises and new insights. Roughly, these are the next steps that are yet to come:

1. Next step
   – Waiting for confirmation of the registration of our company, after which we have to apply for GSIN/EAN codes.
   – One last iteration round, with changes based on the official prototype that we received.
   – Translate all copies to Spanish and design rulebook and factsheet
   – Finalize flow for shipping partners and implement in webshop
   – Professional photography
2. Production (1 month)
3. Shipping to the Netherlands (45 days)
4. Delivery of pre-orders (14 days)

During the last three steps, we’ll focus on creating a video explainer of the rules, and an interactive rulebook.

Secure your game today!

Final note: we have concluded the Combination Deal for pre-orders in which you could support the development of our game, in return for the first copy, your name in the rulebook and a couple of other perks. The rulebook is full, we don’t have space anymore! Thanks everyone for your pre-orders!But don’t worry! The pre-sale is still open!

You can still place a pre-order on our website. You’ll be the first to receive your copy of the game, and it will help us immensely to increase numbers for the first production batch. 

Please note this is a completely self-published and community-funded project. We haven’t taken any investments nor plan to sell the game to publishers. Don’t compare it with mass-produced games like Monopoly or Risk, but rather see it as a unique product for a niche market. We hope to bring prices down as we scale up to bigger numbers. Your endorsement and support is extremely valuable!