The CEO of Steve Jackson Games, a prominent name in the gaming industry known for innovative board games and card games, has described the upcoming 54 percent tariff on goods imported from China, effective April 5th, as a “seismic shift” for the board game sector, warning that “prices are going up.”
In a recent post, CEO Meredith Placko stated, “At Steve Jackson Games, we are actively assessing what this means for our products, our pricing, and our future plans.” She emphasized that the company cannot absorb such a significant cost increase without passing it on to consumers. “We’ve done our best over the past few years to shield players and retailers from the full brunt of rising freight costs and other increases, but this new tax changes the equation entirely.”
Placko provided an example of how the tariff will impact costs, noting, “A product we might have manufactured in China for $3.00 last year could now cost $4.62 before we even ship it across the ocean.” She elaborated, “Add freight, warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution margins, and that once-$25 game quickly becomes a $40 product. That’s not a luxury upcharge; it’s survival math.”
Highlighting the challenges of domestic production, Placko mentioned that the company doesn’t manufacture in the US due to the lack of infrastructure. She acknowledged that while tariffs can serve as an “effective tool” for bolstering domestic manufacturing when part of a long-term strategy, there is currently “no national plan in place to support manufacturing for the types of products we make.”
For those frustrated with the new tariffs, Placko encouraged individuals to reach out to their elected officials, stating, “Ask them how these new policies help American creators and small businesses, because right now, it feels like they don’t.”
The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has also expressed grave concerns, declaring, “The latest imposition of a 54% tariff on products from China by the administration is dire news for the tabletop industry and the broader US economy,” as reported by Polygon. Additionally, PSA, a card-grading company, announced that it has paused direct card grading submissions from outside the US due to the new tariffs.
In March, Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks commented to Yahoo Finance that, “when you’re talking about tariffs in the neighborhood of 20 percent plus, that’s a cost that we can’t fully accommodate. It will have to be passed on.”
