What’s black and white and green all over? Ravensburger, the acclaimed publisher behind award-winning board games and high-quality toys and puzzles, has announced that it is now the distributor for the classic strategy game Othello, which has sold over 40 million copies worldwide, in the United States and Canada. Beginning August 1, Ravensburger will take on distribution of this fast-paced strategy title to hobby and specialty stores nationwide. Retailers will also notice a new update to Othello’s components – the rulebook will be printed in color for the first time in the game’s history.
“Othello is a natural fit for Ravensburger’s games portfolio,” says Florian Baldenhofer, International Category Director of Games for Ravensburger, who leads the company’s Games Category in North America. “The motto ‘A minute to learn… a lifetime to master’ captures our own philosophy of designing games that are easy to learn, that offer depth and replayability, and that are ideal for multi-generations, bringing kids and grandkids together around the table.”
Designed for two players and featuring two-sided disks (black or white), Othello challenges players to capture and convert their opponent’s disks to their own color, with the objective of having more of their own color disks face up on the board at the end of the game. To change the disks to their selected color, players must work to “sandwich” their opponent’s pieces. But they must look out as their opponent will try to do the same on their next move. The lead can change with a flip of a disk.
Othello is suggested for players ages 8 and up and will be available at retailers on August 1, 2024, with a price point of $24.99 USD/$29.99 CAD.