Contra & Bomberman to Get Board Games

Konami Cross Media NY has signed two licensing agreements to create board games based on its classic video game titles Contra and Bomberman.

Targeting a North American launch in spring 2020, Blacklist Games is developing a cooperative board game based on the original Contra video game, with card-driven gameplay and detailed miniatures of famous characters. Meanwhile, IDW Games has licensed the global rights to develop a Bomberman-branded board game, slated for launch later this year.

The deal marks the first time Bomberman will become a board game. IDW Games also secured the global rights to develop card games, puzzles and collectible pins based on the gaming title.

Bomberman was originally launched in 1987 for NES as an action video game; the newest version, Super Bomberman R, launched in 2017 exclusively on Nintendo Switch and is now also available on Xbox and PlayStation 4. Contra also initially debuted in 1987, gaining its notoriety through its run and gun-style action and trailblazing multiplayer cooperative gameplay.

“We are pleased to welcome Blacklist Games (in conjunction with Kess Co.) and IDW Games as licensees to our rapidly growing slate of partners helping us expand the consumer products for our gaming brands, Contra and Bomberman,” said Jennifer Coleman, Konami Cross Media NY’s VP of licensing and marketing. “We hope fans will love the fantastic and compelling gameplay the board game versions will offer from these two Konami titles. This is just the start of the different engagement points we plan to develop in order to create a truly robust experience for Contra and Bomberman fans.”

“We’re extremely excited with this opportunity to work with an iconic property like Contra and having Blacklist Games create an immersive board game that captures the essence of Contra’s action-packed experience,” said Alex Kessler, founder and CEO of Kess Co.

Jerry Bennington, IDW Games’ VP of new product development, added: “Super Bomberman R’s epic battling and colorful characters translate well into the multiplayer board game we’ve envisioned. We hope fans will embrace the opportunity to discover that when the game debuts.”