Stonemaier Games
Stonemaier Games is an American board-game publishing company known for strategy and thematic tabletop games including Viticulture, Scythe, and Wingspan.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Stonemaier Games is an American tabletop-game publisher founded in 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri, by Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone. The company began with a direct-to-consumer and crowdfunding-oriented model: its first title, Viticulture, was financed through Kickstarter, where it raised approximately $65,000 from supporters. The founders established a limited liability company under the name Stonemaier Inc. for legal and publishing purposes, enabling the business to publish games designed by its founders as well as titles created by outside designers. The company’s early identity was shaped by crowdfunding, owner communication, and a focus on strategy games with substantial physical components and distinctive themes. Its catalog expanded beyond Viticulture to include titles such as Euphoria, Scythe, Charterstone, Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig, and Tapestry. These games helped establish Stonemaier as a prominent independent publisher in the modern hobby-board-game market, where publishers compete through original design, premium production, organized distribution, and long-term support for expansions and related products. Stonemaier’s most visible commercial and critical breakthrough came with Wingspan, released in 2019. Designed around bird conservation and collection, the game reached audiences well beyond the traditional strategy-gaming community. It received coverage from mainstream publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vox, and its initial reception created demand substantially beyond the company’s expectations. Stonemaier publicly apologized for early supply constraints. By March 2024, Wingspan had sold approximately 1.9 million copies, making it the company’s largest-selling game and a major driver of its overall business. The publisher has continued to develop themed strategy games connected by accessible systems, high-quality components, and strong visual presentation. Wyrmspan, released in 2024, adapted elements of the bird-focused formula to a setting centered on mythical dragons. The company also announced Vantage for publication in 2025 and released Finspan in 2025, extending its interest in nature and exploration themes into an aquatic setting. In February 2024, Stonemaier acquired publishing rights for the Tokaido board-game brand, including Namiji and Tokaido Duo, from Funforge, broadening its role from creator-led publisher to rights holder and steward of established tabletop properties. Stonemaier remained privately held and relatively small compared with major mass-market toy and entertainment companies. According to the supplied reference material, the business added staff in 2023 and employed one part-time and seven full-time employees at that time. Its ownership was initially divided among Stegmaier, Stone, and two additional partners, but was later restructured so that Stegmaier and Stone became the sole owners, with Stegmaier holding the majority position. In 2025, the company also became involved in a legal challenge concerning United States tariffs on goods imported from China, stating that the duties could materially affect its costs and the U.S. availability of imported games. Stonemaier Games therefore combines independent publishing, crowdfunding-era direct engagement, international hobby-game distribution, and ownership of a growing portfolio of original and acquired tabletop brands.
History
Stonemaier Games was established in 2012 in St. Louis, Missouri, by Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone. Stegmaier was a student at Washington University in St. Louis when the founders began developing the business. Rather than starting with a large corporate publishing infrastructure, they used Kickstarter to finance Viticulture, their first game. The campaign raised about $65,000, giving the company an initial customer base and the resources to manufacture and distribute the title. For legal purposes, the founders formed a limited liability company called Stonemaier Inc. The structure was intended to support self-publishing by the founders and publication of games from other designers. Ownership initially included Stegmaier, Stone, and two additional partners. The arrangement was later reorganized so that Stegmaier and Stone became the sole owners, with Stegmaier as the majority partner. This ownership structure allowed the company to remain independent while building a catalog through a mixture of internally developed games and external design relationships. Viticulture established Stonemaier in the hobby-board-game market and was followed by a broader range of strategy titles. The company became associated with games that combine medium- to heavy-weight strategic decision-making with strong themes and elaborate component design. Scythe, Charterstone, Tapestry, Euphoria, and Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig contributed to the publisher’s reputation and expanded its reach among dedicated tabletop players. The company’s decisive breakthrough arrived in 2019 with Wingspan, designed around collecting and managing birds and their habitats. The game’s subject matter, artwork, and approachable presentation helped it reach audiences outside the conventional strategy-game niche. It was discussed by major general-interest publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vox. Release demand was much higher than anticipated, creating early supply shortages for which Stonemaier apologized. Wingspan subsequently became the company’s best-selling game, reaching approximately 1.9 million copies sold by March 2024. Stonemaier continued to develop games that used distinctive natural, historical, or speculative settings. Wyrmspan, published in 2024, used mythical dragons as its central theme, while Finspan, released in 2025, focused on aquatic life. On April 24, 2024, the company announced Vantage for planned publication in 2025. These releases demonstrated the publisher’s continuing investment in new original properties rather than relying exclusively on its established catalog. The company also expanded through rights acquisition. In February 2024, Stonemaier obtained publishing rights for the Tokaido board-game brand from Funforge, including Namiji and Tokaido Duo. The transaction added recognized existing properties to a portfolio previously identified primarily with Stonemaier-originated games. The business remained privately owned and small in staffing terms. The supplied reference material states that Stonemaier hired additional staff in 2023 and then had one part-time and seven full-time employees. Its model depended on international manufacturing and distribution, making trade policy an important business issue. In 2025, following the introduction of high U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports, the company announced its intention to participate in a Pacific Legal Foundation lawsuit challenging the tariff policy. Stonemaier said the duties could affect imports of Vantage and that its tariff payments alone could approach $1.5 million. This marked a notable shift from product and publishing announcements into direct public advocacy over the operating conditions facing independent tabletop publishers.
- 2025
Finspan released
[1]Finspan extended the publisher’s nature-oriented catalog with a game centered on aquatic life.
- 2024
Tokaido publishing rights acquired
[1]Stonemaier acquired publishing rights for the Tokaido line from Funforge, including Namiji and Tokaido Duo.
- 2024
Wyrmspan released and Vantage announced
[1]The company released Wyrmspan and announced Vantage for planned publication in 2025.
- 2023
Staff expansion
[1]The company added employees and was reported to have one part-time and seven full-time staff members.
- 2019
Wingspan published
[1]Wingspan launched and received unusually broad critical and media attention, although demand initially exceeded available supply.
- 2012
Company founded and Viticulture crowdfunded
[1]Jamey Stegmaier and Alan Stone founded the company in St. Louis and used Kickstarter to raise approximately $65,000 for the publication of Viticulture.
Products and positioning
An independent, design-led publisher of premium strategy and thematic board games, emphasizing distinctive settings, polished physical production, accessible systems, and sustained engagement with hobby gamers.
Strategy board game · 2012
Viticulture
Viticulture was Stonemaier Games’ first published title and the project that established the company through Kickstarter crowdfunding in 2012. It is a strategic vineyard-management game in which players develop wineries, cultivate grapes, produce wine, and manage workers and resources. The title helped define the publisher’s early interest in thematic euro-style games with substantial replayability and a clear economic-management structure.
Strategy board game
Scythe
Scythe is a large-scale strategy game set in an alternate-history agricultural and industrial landscape. Players develop factions, expand territory, produce resources, deploy forces, and build an economy while balancing military pressure and technological advancement. Its combination of detailed artwork, asymmetric factions, area control, and economic planning became one of Stonemaier’s best-known examples of premium hobby-game publishing.
Strategy board game · 2019
Wingspan
Wingspan is a strategy game themed around birds, habitats, food, eggs, and wildlife conservation. Players build an engine of bird cards across habitat areas, using card combinations to generate resources and complete objectives. Its approachable theme, high-quality components, and polished presentation helped it reach both specialist board-game audiences and broader general-interest consumers. It became Stonemaier Games’ largest-selling title, with approximately 1.9 million copies sold by March 2024.
Legacy strategy board game
Charterstone
Charterstone is a legacy-style strategy board game in which players develop a shared settlement over a sequence of sessions. The game’s changing board, evolving rules, and persistent campaign elements make decisions carry forward from one play session to the next. It reflects Stonemaier’s interest in longer-form tabletop experiences that combine resource management with progressive world and component development.
Civilization strategy board game
Tapestry
Tapestry is a civilization-building strategy game focused on guiding a society through technological, scientific, military, and cultural development. Players advance along multiple tracks, construct a capital, and use civilization-specific abilities to pursue different routes to success. The title is representative of the publisher’s premium strategy format, combining a broad historical-fiction concept with asymmetric powers and detailed physical production.
Strategy board game · 2024
Wyrmspan
Wyrmspan, published in 2024, uses mythical dragons as the focus of a strategy experience. It follows Stonemaier’s interest in approachable engine-building and collection systems presented through a strong natural-history or fantasy theme. The game was positioned as a successor-style thematic offering following the success of Wingspan, while shifting the subject matter from real-world birds to dragons.
Strategy board game · 2025
Finspan
Finspan, released in 2025, explores aquatic life and extends Stonemaier’s interest in nature-centered tabletop themes. It is part of the publisher’s continuing range of strategy games built around collection, development, and ecological subject matter.
Thematic board game
Tokaido
Tokaido is an established board-game brand whose publishing rights Stonemaier Games acquired from Funforge in 2024. The rights transaction also covered related titles including Namiji and Tokaido Duo, adding an acquired tabletop property to Stonemaier’s primarily original catalog.
Brand decisions
2025
Challenge U.S. import tariffsStrategyBackground
New U.S. tariffs on goods imported from China threatened to increase the cost of imported tabletop games and affect the U.S. supply of Vantage.
Action taken
Stonemaier announced its intention to join a Pacific Legal Foundation lawsuit challenging the tariff policy.
Aftermath
The company publicly framed the issue as a threat to independent publishers, contractors, and consumers. The supplied reference material does not establish the final legal outcome.
Estimated tariff payments. Nearly $1.5 million (Company estimate reported in 2025)
2024
Acquire Tokaido publishing rightsM&ABackground
Stonemaier expanded beyond its own original properties by taking responsibility for an established tabletop brand.
Action taken
The company acquired publishing rights for Tokaido board games from Funforge, including Namiji and Tokaido Duo.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened Stonemaier’s catalog and added rights management for an existing game family.
2019
Release WingspanProduct launchBackground
Stonemaier sought to publish a distinctive strategy game based on birds and habitat management.
Action taken
The company released Wingspan and distributed it through its hobby-game channels and wider retail network.
Aftermath
Demand exceeded initial expectations, causing early supply shortages. The game later became the company’s largest-selling title.
Copies sold. Approximately 1.9 million copies (By March 2024)
2012
Use Kickstarter to launch ViticultureProduct launchBackground
As a newly founded independent publisher, Stonemaier needed financing and market validation for its first game.
Action taken
The founders crowdfunded Viticulture on Kickstarter and raised approximately $65,000.
Aftermath
The campaign funded the company’s first publication and established its early direct relationship with tabletop customers.
Kickstarter funds raised. Approximately $65,000 (2012 crowdfunding campaign)
Recent events
- 2025
Stonemaier joins planned challenge to U.S. import tariffs[1]
Lawsuit · Regulation
After tariffs on goods imported from China were introduced by the second Trump administration, Stonemaier said it intended to join a lawsuit handled by the Pacific Legal Foundation. The company said the duties could affect imported games, including Vantage, and materially increase its tariff payments.
- 2024
Wingspan becomes Stonemaier Games' largest-selling title[1]
Other
The company reported that Wingspan had sold approximately 1.9 million copies by March 2024, following strong critical attention and demand across international hobby-game markets.
- 2024
Stonemaier Games acquires publishing rights for the Tokaido brand[1]
M&A
Stonemaier acquired publishing rights for Tokaido board games from Funforge, including Namiji and Tokaido Duo.
- 2024
Stonemaier announces Vantage[1]
Product launch
The publisher announced Vantage on April 24, 2024, for planned publication in 2025.
- 2019
Stonemaier responds to initial Wingspan supply shortages[1]
Other
Demand for Wingspan exceeded the publisher's initial expectations, producing availability problems after release. Stonemaier publicly apologized and worked through the resulting supply constraints.
Sources2 sources
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