Discover what’s new in the Rawstone world

Date: 14/11/2025

SPIEL 2025 Industry Recap: Rawstone on Trends in Manufacturing and Licensing

Our SPIEL 2025 industry recap highlights an extraordinary edition of the world’s largest board-game fair, where Rawstone Games participated as both manufacturer and sponsor. With more than 220,000 attendees, hundreds of exhibitors, and over 1,700 new titles, this year’s SPIEL solidified key shifts in production, licensing, and sustainability across the global industry.

Throughout the four days, Rawstone connected with publishers, designers, and partners interested in sustainable manufacturing, cross-border licensing, and production solutions for international markets — especially Europe and China.

Rawstone’s Presence at SPIEL Essen 2025

Sustainable manufacturing you can rely on

At our booth, we showcased Rawstone’s full-service approach to board-game production:
• sustainable paper and plastic-free component options
• design-for-manufacturing support
• prototype-to-distribution workflows
• global fulfilment and export guidance

SPIEL confirmed that sustainability is no longer a trend — it’s an industry priority. Our conversations reflected exactly that.

Licensing expertise for global growth

Another strong focus of SPIEL 2025 was international licensing. Rawstone supported publishers looking to enter or expand in the Chinese market, as well as developers planning multilingual global releases. Our team provided guidance on co-production, rights management and localisations aligned with manufacturing.

Key industry trends from SPIEL 2025

This SPIEL Essen 2025 industry recap would not be complete without the most relevant themes shaping our sector:

Sustainability as a long-term standard
Eco-friendly components and responsible sourcing were present across halls, reinforcing what we deliver every day: manufacturing that reduces environmental impact without compromising quality.

Licensing as a growth engine
With more markets opening to board-game distribution, publishers are actively seeking partners capable of bridging East and West. This year’s SPIEL highlighted cross-border licensing, localisation and IP protection as strategic priorities.

Cultural identity & narrative design
Talks and panels emphasised authentic cultural expression, accessibility and inclusive design — key areas where manufacturing choices play a central role.

Supply chain stability matters
More publishers are evaluating long-term production partners, prioritising reliability, transparency and the ability to manage complex logistical pipelines.

What this means for our partners

For Rawstone and the publishers we work with, SPIEL Essen reinforced that:

Sustainable production is a competitive advantage.
Licensing opportunities — especially in Asia — are expanding rapidly.
Early collaboration with manufacturers leads to better product, cost efficiency and consistent quality.
The industry values partners who combine manufacturing skill with strategic insight.

Thank you, and let’s build together

A sincere thank you to everyone who visited our booth, spoke with us, attended our sessions or connected during SPIEL 2025. We’re excited by the conversations we started, the innovations we witnessed and the opportunities ahead!

If you missed us at the fair or would like to explore how Rawstone can support your next board game — from concept to international launch, from China to Europe — contact us!

Together, we can manufacture with integrity, license with vision, and launch games that reach players everywhere.