TARIFFS

Why We’re Not Launching Best Frenemies
(Yet)

Update 07/16/2025: This sucks. It really sucks. We were all set to launch Best Frenemies on Kickstarter this fall. After years of designing, illustrating, writing, playtesting, and fine-tuning, we were ready to hit “go.” But then tariffs hit—hard.

With production costs skyrocketing overnight, we’d have had to charge our backers silly prices for Best Frenemies. And we don’t want to do that, especially at a time when people are already feeling the pinch. So we’re pressing pause. But we will be back with Best Frenemies, just give us time!

We really tried to make this work. Manufacturing in the US, making the game smaller, fulfilling from Canada or Europe, even looking at how much it would cost to just pay the tariffs ourselves. But for one reason or another, we couldn’t do any of these (see below for the full run down).

The good news? We have something else coming soon. Something fast-paced, chaotic and really damn fun.

Stay tuned!

Steve, Mike & Jim.

We tried everything…

  • We spoke to about a dozen US manufacturers and not one of them was able to make Best Frenemies. Some even told us it’s “impossible to make in the USA” because of the accessories.

  • US manufacturers also struggled with the box and the sheer size of the game. There was just no option that didn’t cost us 3 or 4 times the price of our Chinese partners.

  • We asked what was possible for a reasonable price for our backers. But it would have meant reducing to around 80 cards in a flimsy tuck box. Ultimately, we decided that’s not the game our backers deserve and not the game we want to release.

  • Nobody seems particularly confident this will happen. The machines needed come from China and would also be slapped with huge tariffs. No manufacturer wants to make that kind of investment now if tariffs go away tomorrow.

  • This would mean that at least non-US backers wouldn’t have to take the hit on tariffs. But that could add $10-20 in shipping fees for each American backer PLUS the cost of the tariffs…

  • With shipping, we’d be looking at $65USD retail for a party game. During a cost of living crisis. Even if backers are willing to pay that, we don’t want to charge such an unfair price.

  • Some Kickstarters are doing this at the moment. But with the tariffs constantly shifting, we’d be asking people to back us with no earthly idea of how much they’ll have to pay.

  • HOW MUCH?! Oh God… absolutely not! We’re talking over $17,000 on a project we already probably won’t break even on.

  • We’re a new studio launching our debut game. We don’t already have a European fanbase that we can rely on. As the largest market for party games, cutting the United States out doesn’t feel like a smart move.

  • Our lips are sealed for now but you might want to sign up to our newsletter.