Giving Thanks

This Thursday will be Thanksgiving in the United States, and I wanted to pause for a moment to reflect on what that means here.

First, I owe a great deal of thanks to Steve Jackson and Phil Reed for bringing me back into the fold almost eight years ago. It's been a blast and I'm really excited about where Munchkin is going next. I strive every day to live up to the trust they have placed in me.

I'm blessed with dozens of talented, dedicated colleagues, far too many to call out independently, but I want to mention a couple. Sam Mitschke is our Chief Creative Officer and a good friend. Sam keeps me sane (relatively) and productive (relatively) when the job gets to me from time to time. Devin Lewis has been my right hand for several years now, a reliable helper who runs playtests, gives me great feedback, and has gotten to do his own design work on the line occasionally. Devin is currently in charge of bringing the Munchkin Collectible Card Game to store shelves next year, and the game could not be in better hands.

Of course, Munchkin would be nothing without our talented artists. John Kovalic has been a lonely force of good for so long that it still feels a bit weird to be talking about artists, plural, but now we're working with Ian McGinty, Katie Cook, Len Peralta, and several other creative illustrators (again, too many to list here). They truly are collaborators on our games and we are grateful for all the whimsy (we'll call it that) they add to every card they touch.

I would be remiss if I did not mention our creative partners at BOOM! Studios, home of the Munchkin comic book, and USAopoly, home of great licensed Munchkin games such as Munchkin AdventureTime and Munchkin: Marvel Edition. They have taken Munchkin to places we didn't know how to reach, and they've done it brilliantly.

Our printer representatives at Grand Prix International (GPI) and our fulfillment partners at PSI in Georgia make the games and get them into stores. They are important links in the chain between "Hey, I've got a stupid Munchkin idea!" and having that idea appear on the shelves of your Friendly Local Game Store. Our distribution partners and all those local retailers are just as important; if they didn't order our games, you would never see them.

Finally, and by FAR the most important, I have to thank you, the loyal Munchkin fans. Your support, feedback, and encouragement are more valuable to us than Treasure or levels. We're in a creative industry (as much as we may forget that when deadlines loom), and we know games are a luxury purchase, not a necessity. We try never to take our customers for granted, and this week in particular, I remember that everything I do is ultimately to enrich your lives. Thanks for letting me do it for the past eight years. I can't wait to show you what's coming next.