FFG’s Price Increase: What’s Really Going On?

Recently, Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) announced a price increase—and I didn’t make a dedicated video about it right away. To be honest, that’s because there just wasn’t much to say. But since this is such a hot topic in the board game world, let’s break down what’s happening, why it matters, and what’s not being said in those official announcements.

The Official Statement

If you missed it, FFG released a statement to their community explaining that, due to “ongoing increases in production and import costs beyond our control,” they’ll be raising prices by about 15% for products sold in the United States, effective July 15th.

Credit where it’s due: at least they gave everyone a month’s notice, which isn’t always the case. But if you actually try to read their announcement, it’s a bit of a struggle—the font is small, the drop shadows are weird, and it just isn’t the clearest communication.

What’s Really Behind This?

The key phrase in FFG’s announcement is “production and import costs.” Notice they never mention tariffs directly. There’s a reason for that—and it’s not unique to FFG. Lots of board game companies are doing the same thing.

A quick history lesson: for years, tariffs on products imported from China hovered around 20%. Then, under different administrations, those numbers jumped around—sometimes dramatically. Board game companies responded by raising prices, usually justifying it by pointing to increased tariffs.

But here’s the thing: some companies said, “We’ll lower our prices when tariffs go back to zero.” The catch? Tariffs were never at zero. So prices go up, and when tariffs go down a little, the prices just…stay up. Now, instead of tying price increases directly to tariffs, companies are starting to use more general language: “import costs,” “supply chain issues,” or just “the cost of doing business.” This gives them more flexibility to keep prices high, no matter what happens with tariffs.

Why Does This Matter?

I get it—companies need to protect their bottom line, and costs are up across the board. But as consumers, it can feel frustrating to see prices jump and never really come back down. This is especially true in hobbies like board gaming, where even a small increase adds up over time.

Is it all because of tariffs? Not entirely. Inflation over the past few years has pushed prices higher for everything, not just board games. FFG didn’t hike prices as much during the last inflationary spike, so maybe this is partly a catch-up move. Still, if you’re used to paying $16 for a pack and now it’s $18 or more, it stings—even if, let’s be honest, most of us aren’t paying full MSRP anyway.

What Happens Next?

Don’t expect these prices to drop anytime soon. Even if tariffs or shipping costs fall in the future, the new “normal” is probably here to stay. Companies rarely lower prices once customers have accepted the increase.

If you’re frustrated by this, you’re not alone. It reminds me a lot of what happened during COVID: companies raised prices because of real supply chain issues, but when things settled down, prices didn’t drop back to where they started. We all just got used to the new price tags.

Final Thoughts

Is this good for the hobby? Honestly, it’s hard to say. Companies face real challenges, but repeated price increases—and fuzzy explanations—don’t do much to build trust with the community. FFG and other publishers will have to navigate some real headwinds if they want to keep their customers happy.

If you have thoughts, questions, or just want to vent, drop a comment below or join the conversation on my YouTube channel. And as always, thank you for supporting the channel and the community.

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