Ravensburger has been a publisher for children and youth in Germany and the EMEA market for 140 years, but it has never published books in North America, until now. It begins its foray into the market with titles tied to its licensed trading card game, Disney Lorcana, and its new infant and toddler brand, Play+.
“Two things really paved the way,” Thomas Kaeppeler, president of Ravensburger North America, told PW. The first was a global corporate restructuring that occurred about five or six years ago in which the company transitioned to a category-driven set-up supported by local teams around the world. “If we want to expand a business globally, we are better set up to do that,” Kaeppeler said. “Previously, publishing was a separate entity, but it’s now part of the category set-up, along with puzzles and games. It gives us the ability to provide services to support all of those categories and to support each country when needed.”
The second driver was the successful launch of the Disney Lorcana game two and a half years ago. It was one of the biggest launches in the trading card game industry and continues to perform well, with more than 2.1 billion cards sold. “We were having the conversations about books, how to go to market, and how the category worked in North America, and developing a strategy,” Kaeppeler said. “And then we had Lorcana all of a sudden. We thought, wouldn’t it be cool to have books for Lorcana?” So the conversation with Disney began.
Lorcana’s mix of storytelling, original art, and the Disney brand resonates strongly with consumers, according to Kaeppeler, especially in the U.S., which is the game’s largest market. The game play takes place in a magical realm where Illumineers (players) use their lorebooks and magic ink to summon glimmers—standard and unexpected versions of Disney characters—and go on quests to earn lodestars, or points.
“The breadth and bulk of Disney’s content is second to none,” Kaeppeler said. “What we’ve seen with Disney fans, and we’ve seen this with our puzzles also, is the appeal of these beloved characters when they take unexpected shapes and forms. These glimmers give you the ability to bring the characters to life in new ways. That fresh take fuels the imagination and storytelling, and takes something that Disney is already good at to the next level.”
The Lorcana publishing program began on February 1 with two 120-page hardcover collector’s guides. Featuring gold foil finish on the covers, the books include card art, a catalog of cards available (covering sets 1–4 and 5–8, respectively), stories behind the game, and Easter eggs for fans. A third Disney Lorcana TCG Collector’s Guide, covering card sets 9–13, is scheduled for publication on November 1.
Also in the fall comes Disney Lorcana — Quest of Wonders: An Illumineer’s Lorebook, a color-illustrated, 288-page embossed and varnished hardcover in a slipcase, with an exclusive promo card. It brings to life in the physical world the magical lorebook from the game (represented by the card deck), which is a cross between a home of sorts for the glimmers and a magical journal and field guide for Illumineers.
Like the game, the Disney Lorcana books have a largely adult audience, but reach down to older tweens, who appreciate the characters, collectibility, and family-friendly competition.
In addition to the Lorcana titles, Ravensburger is also bringing board books, light-up seek-and-find titles, waterproof tear-free soft books, and other formats into the North American market as part of its Play + line for babies and toddlers, which also includes teethers, puzzles, and other products for the very young.
“We wanted to be in the infant toy space, which we hadn’t done globally,” Kaeppeler said, noting that books were always conceived as part of the line. He added that American retailers had expressed interest in books after having visited Ravensburger’s German offices and seen what it offered in Europe.
Initially, the company will focus on distributing its books primarily in channels where the non-book product has a foothold. That includes, for Disney Lorcana, hobby stores, Amazon, and direct-to-consumer sales at trading card competitions and, for Play+, independent gift, toy, and bookstores and Amazon.
Plans entail future expansion of publishing in North America, including more Lorcana and Play+ titles, as well as additional titles and formats currently under discussion. Licensing is expected to be part of the mix, as it is for Ravensburger’s puzzle and game business.
Ravensburger recently acquired NorthSouth Books, based in Zürich, Switzerland, an hour and a half away from Ravensburger’s headquarters. Kaeppeler said that the company is considering how the purchase will fit into its North American publishing strategy, but notes that NorthSouth brings expertise in the North American book market, as well as an IP in Rainbow Fish that could make its way into Ravensburger’s puzzles and games.
