by W. Eric Martin

For the SPIEL Essen convention, many of the larger publishers start setting up on Monday, with others coming onto the floor on Tuesday, and the publishers with the smallest spaces (who are usually the smallest publishers) showing up on Wednesday. I walked the Messe for four hours today talking with publishers and taking photos. Here's a sampling:


Convention halls are so much less enticing during set-up days: plastic-wrapped pallets, mystery boxes, and garbage. Bet you can't wait to get here!


Asmodee is featuring the newly released (and acquired) Zombicide: White Death at SPIEL Essen 25, while also teasing the future expansion of this game line with Zombicide: Squid Game.


Look for discount copies of Thesauros at the Elznir Games booth!


MicroMacro is now playable as an app?! A bit of research shows this app has been active for at least two months, but it's new to me, so perhaps new to you as well.


Archon Studio has a decent chunk of space devoted to 2026's StarCraft Tabletop Miniatures Game.

Hall 7 is being used as an exhibitor space for the first time since it was Hall 10/11, and this panoramic shot gives you an idea of what's being featured there, although you can't see the giant asmodee sales area around the back left corner.


Said asmodee sales area.


Many more titles will be added to this Blackrock Games clearance area, but the pace of games going out the warehouse door continues to accelerate, with 2023's Evil Corp. getting the heave-ho.


Board&Dice has a similar sale posted, which includes titles like 2023's Books of Time and 2024's Side Quest: Frostpunk.


Board&Dice also featured a banner for the upcoming game Art of Rivalry, due out in 2026.


Maestro Media has two more licensed titles in the works: The Disney Afternoon and Phineas & Ferb: Summer Showdown!, which better take 104 days to play.


Goods await shelving and organization at the BoardGameGeek booth...


...which is located next to the stage the Merz Verlag is using for presentations over all four days of SPIEL Essen 25. Come for the presentations; leave with some BGG merch.