Exploding Kittens has a new game in its portfolio, but for the first time, it’s not one that was developed in-house.
The Los Angeles tabletop game company has acquired the fast-paced card game “Happy Salmon” from North Star Games and hired one of its designers.
Designed by Quentin Weir and game developer Ken Gruhl, “Happy Salmon” is on sale now but will be reimagined with an Exploding Kittens twist and re-released in November.
Gruhl has joined Exploding Kittens as a senior game designer.
The move comes as the company nearly tripled its head count during the pandemic, from 22 to 60, CEO Elan Lee recently told me.
Still, Exploding Kittens seeks great game ideas from wherever they might come.
“While we’ve spent so many years building an incredible pipeline for games, we know the best ideas don’t always come from within our four walls,” said Zach Schiff-Abrams, head of creative development. “We want to develop new games and brands, whether that’s through our internal team, working with external designers, or by acquiring IP and talent like we did with ‘Happy Salmon.’”
A team of 15 game designers led by Schiff-Abrams and Thor Ritz includes in-house employees Gruhl, Carol Mertz, Mary Georgescu and Ian Clayman; consultant Eric Lang; and external designers such as Wolfgang Warsch, Mikkel Bertelsen, Martin Gjerløv and Brian Spence, the creator of the game mechanic of “Throw Throw Burrito.”
“Throw Throw Burrito,” production on which exposed Exploding Kittens to “a single point of failure” during the coronavirus crisis, was pitched as “Flaming Mangoes.” The company licensed and developed it into a dodgeball card game that has become one of its best sellers with more than 2 million copies sold since its launch in September 2019.
“I had no idea Exploding Kittens was so open and eager to receive new games and ideas from external developers like myself,” Spence said. “Working with the Exploding Kittens team to develop my original idea into ‘Throw Throw Burrito’ and reach millions worldwide has been an extremely rewarding experience.”
L.A. Biz has been following Exploding Kittens as the card-game company navigates the coronavirus crisis:
- Back to the office: Exploding Kittens ‘desperate’ to work — and play — together again
- Exploding Kittens launches first licensed game, based on ‘Minions’
- Exploding Kittens launches 10th tabletop game
- Exploding Kittens CEO Elan Lee finds meaning in making card games during a pandemic
- Exploding Kittens launches first non-card game, ‘A Game of Cat & Mouth’
- How make game when world sick: Exploding Kittens launches ‘Poetry for Neanderthals’ — a game that keeps the syllables to a minimum — during coronavirus crisis
- Every night is game night: Exploding Kittens navigates increased demand, decreased supply during Covid crisis
- How Exploding Kittens launched an outdoor game during stay-at-home orders
- ‘Single point of failure’: Exploding Kittens CEO Elan Lee on how the coronavirus crisis will reshape how tabletop games are made
