Antoine Bauza and Thomas Provoost, two of the board games industry’s biggest names in design, have launched a new studio focused on the tabletop hobby with the arrival of PlayPunk. The pair has been collaborating for some time now, and the two people will further seek to strengthen their collaboration by working closely together under the same publishing company.
PlayPunk to Focus on Exceptional Game Designs
Provoost and Bauza have a shared vision for the board games hobby and design, and they are excited to be joining this new opportunity that will allow them to deliver on even more creative designs, an official statement by the new company. The forthcoming releases will be highly-polished products down to the last detail, the designers assure. The studio is already collaborating with third-party designers with Bauza and Provoost not necessarily taking a first crack at what is next.
In order to get there, PlayPunk will be very selective in the game designs it release and will take enjoyable time to release titles. The company is already planning a bunch of titles, with the first one called Captain Flip and designed by Paolo Mori, known for Blitzkrieg! World War Two in 20 Minutes and Pandemic: Fall of Rome, among others, and Remo Conzadori who has designed games such as Rise, Expo 1906, and Manitoba.
The second title planned by the company is an “expert game” that will be available for 2-4 players and will be designed by Gregory Grard (Cross Clues and Kameloot) and Mathiew Roussel (Word on the Street and Pluckin’ Pairs), with PlayPunk confident in giving a chance to less known designers as well.
Industry Veterans with Unquenchable Thirst for Innovation
Meanwhile, Provoost himself is a household name in the industry, having designed and won games and won numerous awards. His designs have bagged accolades such as As d’Or, Spiel des Jahres, and more. Bauza is known for his innovative design of Hanabi, one of the best small-size games to take with you anywhere, which became Spiel des Jahres 2013. He has also designed Ghost Stories, Tokaido and Takenoko, as well as Draftosaurus.
The genius of Provoost and Bauza has given the world 7 Wonders and its many sequels, including Architects and Duel, also award-winning and highly-acclaimed designs, and titles.