An unexpected co-op board game has won this year's Spiel des Jahres. The Bomb Busters board game has taken the acclaimed award, one many believed was reserved for the critical and commercial card game darling, Flip 7.
The Bomb Busters Board Game Winning Spiel des Jahres
According to a report from BoardGameWire, the Bomb Busters board game winning this year's Spiel des Jahres marked several momentous occasions. It is the first time in the event's 46-year history that the winner came from an Asian game designer. Considering the event is held in Germany, it is a testament to the rising popularity of board games around the world.
The game, created by Japanese designer Hisashi Hiyashi, is a reworked version of his 2020 board game, Bomb Squad. This updated version of the game, which was presented to the Spiel des Jahres jury, included 66 different missions.
As the name implies, it is a co-op game where players work together to disarm different kinds of bombs. Different colored tiles represent the wires on each bomb. Those tiles are placed in front of each player, meaning only they can see which wires are a certain color. If both players cut each wire in the correct order, the bomb is disarmed, and they win. If the team messes up, the bomb "explodes" and everyone loses.
The Bomb Busters board game winning this award was also considered an upset for another tabletop critical darling. Flip 7, the press-your-luck card flipping game designed by Eric Olsen, has been winning awards left and right this year. Those include the 2024 Origins Awards Best Party Game, the 2024 Golden Geek Party Game, and the 2024 Board Game Quest Awards Best Game Award.
Hayashi stated the main inspiration for his award-winning board game was Babanuki, a traditional Japanese card game. It is also known by another name in the US: Old Maid.
