Rio Grande purposefully produces ugly cover to hide awesome gameplay

Wutanfallhaus
BOARD GAME NEWS
​Volume 1 • Issue 5 ​

PLACITAS, NM—It's no surprise that board game company Rio Grande is in production for yet another title, Cultural Revolution, which is a Eurogame based on the economy of China from 1966 to 1976. But what is surprising is that they're taking a unique marketing approach this time around—they've selected art for the box that has absolutely nothing to do with the game itself.

Abraham Diaz, a faithful member of BoardGameGeek.com, thinks Rio Grande is strategically avoiding running out of the product. "Can you imagine the frenzy they'd create if people couldn't get their hands on this fantastic game?" says Diaz. "People would go into another blood rage!"

"They're definitely playing the long game," opines Josh Yule, one of the game previewers. "The gameplay is awesome, but you don't want it to be a flash in the pan. Word of mouth sells way more games over time than beautiful box art."

Another anonymous reviewer said they almost shipped the game back without playing. "It's so ugly, I almost threw up," says the reviewer. "But when I reached out to Rio Grande, they assured me that the choice of art was intentional. Turns out it's a blast to play! Just have to throw out the container first."

Copies of Cultural Revolution will be available in the U.S. starting April 1.

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