Taking Kiwi Game Designs to the World Market – it’s not Kids Play!

Auckland based game design company IQideas Ltd is slowly but surely conquering the world with their award winning range of educational boardgames. Established on a plane trip back from the Melbourne Toy Fair in 2005 (the first business plan was written on the back of an airline sickbag!) the company has evolved into a serious player in the multi-billion dollar global boardgame market, with exports being channelled to markets across the USA, Australia, Germany, France, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

It hasn’t been an easy journey though. The company was created on the basis of a creative idea care of founder Andrew Baker. Studying to be a maths teacher back in the early 1990s, he came up with an innovative way of teaching children mathematical concepts using a 3D puzzle and game. Named the ‘miQube’ Baker’s invention languished in a shoe box for a decade, before being dusted off and submitted for a prestigious international game award. Winning this award was the impetuous for launching the product to the market.

Fast forward to 2006 and the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany where IQideas was the only NZ exhibitor in the biggest industry event in the world, with their chance to introduce miQube to a captive audience of 85,000 buyers. With the smallest booth at the show, but a powerful pitch and a determination not to be intimidated by the “Big Boys”, their product generated enough distributor and public interest to transform the game in to a business. Product ideas from other designers started flooding in and the company has gone on to launch a range of highly successful strategy and educational games.

Marketing to both the family and school markets, there have been numerous challenges along the way, particularly in the export space. Manufacturing offshore in order to keep their games affordable has been a major challenge, with an initial shipment of product literally “falling apart on the wharf in Auckland” resulting in near bankruptcy, however, a gutsy determination to pick themselves up and keep searching for a reputable partner has paid off with a range of quality NZ designed games being marketed to the world.

What have they learnt? The power of PR and having a great story to tell, investing in the key international Trade Shows, making a personal commitment to get face-to-face with international customers despite the distance and expense involved, all have been keys to the success of the company.