From Idea to Tabletop | A Chat with Eastar Games Manufacturing

Some of y'all may already be familiar with the incredible work of Eastar and not even know it. They've packaged cult hits like Nemesis, The One Ring, and the Collector's Edition of Castles of Burgundy. When I first got in touch with May through Instagram just a couple months ago I almost couldn't believe it was really the company! How cool to have such a rad conversation drop into our DM's.

Fast-forwarding to this week, I had the pleasure of sitting down with May, a sales manager at Eastar, to talk about how their team brings top-tier board games to life. From customized top-tier printing, to custom inserts, to highly detailed custom 3D miniatures, Eastar’s work blends precision, playfulness, and production mastery into a full-service board game manufacturing experience. We're super excited to share their work!

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Who Is Eastar?

Based in China, Eastar Game Manufacturing has made a name for itself in the tabletop space by offering complete, end-to-end production. That includes everything from puzzle pieces and trading cards to custom dice, miniatures, inserts, and rulebooks. What makes them truly stand out? According to May:

“We are unique in that we have our own in-house plastic and paper production factories… which gives us more control over quality, timelines, and consistency.”

That control translates to better products—and peace of mind for game developers around the world.

Office Game Night Is Serious Business

A manufacturer that actually plays the games they produce? That’s not just a dream, it’s Eastar’s standard.

“Every Wednesday is our office game night,” May told me. “We play our clients’ games and even games from potential clients. It helps us learn the game’s mechanics and materials so we can provide better suggestions or innovations.”

I love how function and hands-on their approach is. It allows Eastar’s team to understand a game from the inside out and make better decisions about packaging, materials, and production flow. And I mean, who doesn't love getting paid for playing games?

The Journey from Idea to Boxed Game

If you're a small indie developer, working with a large-scale manufacturer can be intimidating. They get it. And they've made life *way* easier for budding companies. Their process is super collaborative with the game maker and it's reflected in the beauty of their work and the excitement both companies and players feel.

“We guide our customers through the whole process and keep them updated at least once a week,” May shared. “Usually more than that.”

The process generally starts with a component list and artwork. For new developers, Eastar offers feedback and support to build a more complete spec sheet. Then comes quoting, sampling, production, and quality inspection. Each step handled by a dedicated project manager.

Notably, Eastar’s sampling process adjusts based on your needs and budget. Smaller developers might skip the full production sample (which can be costly) and instead rely on digital proofs and white samples, while larger companies tend to go for a more rigorous test run!

The Future of Gaming

Eastar not only has highlighted a major focus of their efforts on making games more sustainable through recycled materials, but has started to encourage gamers, where possible, to reduce plastic usage and opt for cardboard liners instead. It's a huge relief to hear that Eastar is working on sustainability as one of the main components of being a future thinking company.

Beyond materials, huge trends in gaming are moving toward heavier hitting rule books and story books. We're seeing more and more lengthy titles being added to games along with minis and maps. Think a packable dnd set. May has expressed seeing more and more of these games on the horizon as well as adjustments and adaptations to how games are both produced, built, and sold.

We're sure to see incredible changes in the future of games! It's awesome to see Eastar at the front of it.

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For more from Eastar check out their site here: https://www.eastarboardgame.com/

More interviews coming soon