Peri Spiele

Peri Spiele was an Austrian games manufacturer based in Scharnstein, Upper Austria. Founded in 1959 by Erich Perner, the company produced and published board games, card games, playing cards, and related tabletop products. Its history reflects the development of a regional European games publisher into a business with broader international connections, followed by financial difficulties and the eventual end of its successor operation. The company remained associated with the Perner family. Erich Perner established the business, and his son Wolfgang Perner later became managing director. Peri Spiele also expanded beyond Austria through a Swiss branch office established in Goldach in 1984 under the name PPG Perner Publishing Group. This office gave the business an additional publishing and distribution presence in Switzerland and helped connect the brand with markets outside its Austrian base. Peri's catalogue included both conventional family games and more distinctive titles. Among the games associated with the company were Invers by Kris Burm, Zatre by Manfred Schüling, and Pusher by Werner Falkhof. The catalogue also included special or locally themed products such as Kennen sie Traxenbichl?, a place-name quiz referring to an area near Scharnstein. Other products associated with the business included DKT – Das kaufmännische Talent, Triomino, and Rummy, the latter identified in the reference material with Rummikub. Several Peri titles achieved recognition in awards and competitions. Invers was a candidate for the Spiel des Jahres award in 1991, while Zatre and Pusher were candidates in 1993. Pusher received the French Super Golden Ace in 1994, and Zatre received the same award in 1998. These distinctions indicate that Peri's products were visible beyond the Austrian market and that the company worked with designers whose games attracted attention in the wider European hobby and family-game scene. The business encountered serious financial problems in the 1990s. In 1995, Peri employed 73 people. In February 1996, the company filed for bankruptcy. During the same year, Wolfgang Perner founded Perner Produktions, allowing the Peri Spiele brand and parts of its activity to continue under a new corporate structure. The successor company employed 28 people before it itself entered bankruptcy in 2004. The available reference material does not establish a later operating company, a current owner, or a continuing official website. Peri Spiele is therefore best treated as a defunct Austrian games brand whose catalogue and historical reputation survive through specialist game databases, collector communities, and references to its award-recognized titles.

Peri Spiele was established in 1959 in Scharnstein, Upper Austria, by Erich Perner. The company manufactured and published tabletop entertainment products, including board games, card games, playing cards, and games aimed at family or general audiences. Its Austrian base placed it within the German-speaking European games market, while its later publishing structure supported activity outside Austria. A significant international development came in 1984, when Peri established a branch office in Goldach, Switzerland. The office operated as PPG Perner Publishing Group and represented an effort to maintain a Swiss publishing and commercial presence. Peri's catalogue included original and licensed or adapted game formats, among them the place-name quiz Kennen sie Traxenbichl?, DKT – Das kaufmännische Talent, Triomino, and Rummy. The company also released or was associated with designer-led titles such as Kris Burm's Invers, Manfred Schüling's Zatre, and Werner Falkhof's Pusher. The brand achieved notable recognition during the 1990s. Invers was a candidate for Spiel des Jahres in 1991. Zatre and Pusher were candidates in 1993. Pusher later received the French Super Golden Ace in 1994, followed by Zatre in 1998. These results gave Peri Spiele visibility among European game publishers even though the company itself remained relatively small by international consumer-goods standards. The company employed 73 people in 1995 but filed for bankruptcy in February 1996. Wolfgang Perner, Erich Perner's son and the company's managing director, founded Perner Produktions in the same year. This successor structure allowed the Peri Spiele name and associated product activity to continue. Perner Produktions was smaller, employing 28 people, but it also eventually entered bankruptcy in 2004. Public reference material does not document a subsequent corporate revival, acquisition, or current official owner. Peri Spiele is consequently regarded as a defunct Austrian games brand, with its historical products remaining documented in specialist databases and board-game collecting communities.

• 2004

  Perner Produktions enters bankruptcy

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  The 28-person successor company Perner Produktions enters bankruptcy, ending the documented operating history of the Peri Spiele business.

• 1998

  Zatre receives the Super Golden Ace

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  Manfred Schüling's Zatre receives the French Super Golden Ace award.

• 1996

  Peri Spiele files for bankruptcy and Perner Produktions is founded

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  Peri files for bankruptcy in February; Wolfgang Perner establishes Perner Produktions later in the same year to continue the brand's activities.

• 1995

  Peri reports a workforce of 73

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  The company is documented as employing 73 people before its subsequent bankruptcy filing.

• 1994

  Pusher receives the Super Golden Ace

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  Pusher, designed by Werner Falkhof, receives the French Super Golden Ace award.

• 1993

  Zatre and Pusher receive Spiel des Jahres consideration

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  Manfred Schüling's Zatre and Werner Falkhof's Pusher are listed as Spiel des Jahres candidates.

• 1991

  Invers is nominated for Spiel des Jahres

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  Kris Burm's Invers becomes a candidate for the Spiel des Jahres award.

• 1984

  Swiss branch office is established

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  Peri opens a branch in Goldach, Switzerland, operating under the name PPG Perner Publishing Group.

• 1959

  Peri Spiele is founded

  [1]Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org

  Erich Perner establishes the Austrian board-game, card-game, and playing-card manufacturer in Scharnstein, Upper Austria.

A regional Austrian tabletop-games publisher and manufacturer with a catalogue spanning family games, strategy-oriented titles, quizzes, card games, and playing cards. Its strongest historical positioning came from European distribution and recognition for selected titles in Spiel des Jahres consideration and the French Super Golden Ace awards.

• Board game · 1991

  Invers

  Invers is a board game designed by Kris Burm and associated with Peri Spiele's early-1990s catalogue. Its recognition is particularly notable because it was listed as a candidate for the Spiel des Jahres award in 1991, placing the title within the German-speaking market's most visible annual board-game discussion.

• Board game · 1993

  Zatre

  Zatre is a board game by Manfred Schüling. It was a Spiel des Jahres candidate in 1993 and later received the French Super Golden Ace in 1998. The title is one of the clearest examples of Peri Spiele's ability to distribute games that gained recognition across multiple European award systems.

• Board game · 1993

  Pusher

  Pusher is a game designed by Werner Falkhof. It was listed as a Spiel des Jahres candidate in 1993 and won the French Super Golden Ace in 1994. The award history makes it one of the best-known Peri-associated titles outside Austria.

• Quiz game

  Kennen sie Traxenbichl?

  Kennen sie Traxenbichl? is a place-name quiz whose subject is connected with a location near Scharnstein, Peri Spiele's home town. It represents the company's locally rooted product work and its use of regional knowledge as a game theme.

• Board game

  DKT – Das kaufmännische Talent

  DKT – Das kaufmännische Talent is a board-game title associated with Peri Spiele. The available reference material identifies it as part of the company's catalogue but does not provide sufficient detail about a specific edition, ruleset, or release chronology.

• Tile game

  Triomino

  Triomino is a tile-based game listed among the products associated with Peri Spiele. The available sources confirm the catalogue association but do not establish the exact edition history, licensing arrangement, or dates of Peri's production.

• Card game

  Rummy

  Rummy is listed among Peri Spiele's products, with the reference material identifying it alongside Rummikub. The available sources do not clarify the precise relationship between the Peri edition and the broader Rummikub trademark or licensing history.

• 1996

  Continue the brand through Perner ProduktionsOther

  Background

  Peri Spiele filed for bankruptcy in February 1996, threatening the continuity of its products and brand.

  Action taken

  Wolfgang Perner founded Perner Produktions during the same year and continued activities connected with the Peri Spiele name.

  Aftermath

  The successor operated with 28 employees but eventually entered bankruptcy in 2004.

  Source

• 1984

  Create a Swiss publishing presenceStrategy

  Background

  Peri Spiele sought a presence beyond its Austrian base and established a branch office in Goldach, Switzerland.

  Action taken

  The company created PPG Perner Publishing Group as its Swiss branch operation.

  Aftermath

  The Swiss entity became part of the brand's documented international publishing structure; the available sources do not quantify its separate performance.

  Source

1. 1Peri Spieleen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Peri Spiele at BoardGameGeekboardgamegeek.com
3. 3Perner Produktions GmbH in the Luding games databaseluding.org
4. 4Perner Publishing Group AG in the Luding games databaseluding.org