"Spiel des Jahres" par excellence
Big winner: Pegasus Spiele clears "Spiel des Jahres" and "Kennerspiel des Jahres" awards with Camel Up and Istanbul
Friedberg, July, 18th 2014: Apart from winning this year's FIFA World Cup, Germany is also number one when it comes to excitement over board games. Therefore, the award "Spiel des Jahres" helps gamers to choose from the hundreds of new releases that are published each year. For 36 years, its iconic red logo has been imprinted on the boxes of excellent games that are perfect for playing with family and friends. On July 14th, the Jury "Spiel des Jahres", that is consisting of nine journalists elected a winner in the first vote: Camel Up by Pegasus Spiele and their editorial partner eggertspiele is "Spiel des Jahres" 2014.
This is the first time the German publisher was involved in winning the most significant award worldwide – but that is not the end of the story: Pegasus Spiele's Istanbul by Rüdiger Dorn won the award "Kennerspiel des Jahres", that is aimed at more experienced gamers. The fast-playing hunt for rubies is set in the lively bazaar quarters of Istanbul where the players can perform numerous different actions with their merchants. This means that Pegasus Spiele is the first publisher to win both prizes – a highlight in their history.
Even before this year's winners were announced, four of Pegasus Spiele's games were highly recommended by the jury while three games made the list of nominees. Furthermore, the cooperation with editorial partner eggertspiele Village was crowned by winning the "Kennerspiel des Jahres" in 2012. The general quality of Pegasus Spiele's games was also honored by the jury in 2014: Rokoko by eggertspiele was nominated for the "Kennerspiel des Jahres" whereas Love Letter and Guildhall were highly recommended.
SPIEL DES JAHRES 2014: CAMEL UP
According to the jury, Steffen Bogen's Camel Up is a family game "par excellence". The fun and fast camel race captivates and enchants up to eight players by letting them bet on five camels that try to win the race by any means. Appealing design, lightweight rules and short playing time make Camel Up a game for all ages which is also fit to be played at one party or another. It also features Dennis Lohausen's brilliant illustrations and the ingenious dice pyramid which make it a true eye-catcher. Two to eight camel fans from the age of eight years can experience the "Spiel des Jahres" Camel Up in about 30 minutes.
KENNERSPIEL DES JAHRES 2014: ISTANBUL
Rüdiger Dorn's strategic treat Istanbul is fast, exciting and multilayered. The rules can be easily accessed and because they are paired with an intuitive set of symbols the gaming experience becomes even more pleasant and fluent. On the most exciting bazaar in gaming history, the players try to use the fascinating way of moving their merchants to by the first to collect precious rubies. But they have to watch out as their competitors are always hot on their heels. Two to five players from the age of ten years can prove their trading skills in a game of Istanbul which takes about an hour.
INFO | The official website of the "Spiel des Jahres e.V."
INFO | Camel Up on Pegasus.de
INFO | Camel Up on PegasusShop.de
INFO | Istanbul on Pegasus.de
INFO | Istanbul on PegasusShop.de