“Settlers of Catan” will be re-released in a modern version later this year. While the game remains true to its basic principle, the focus in the new edition is now on the topic of sustainability.
The popular board game “The Settlers of Catan” has already won many awards in Germany and internationally. Inventor Klaus Teuber, who died last year, was working with his son Benjamin on further developing the game with a clear focus on sustainability before his death: The new version is called “Catan – Energies”. The highlight: The game reinvents itself with more contemporary elements than in the original version, but without deviating from its original successful game principles.
Sustainability should also be taken into account when producing the game itself. The German version is made in Krauchenwies and uses card holders made from Green PE, a petroleum-free variant of polyethylene that is often made from sugar cane and can be recycled. The wooden figures are made from an FSC mix, with at least 70 percent of the wood being FSC certified or coming from post-consumer recycling.
Throughout the game’s story, the villages of the island of Catan have developed into large research cities, requiring increased energy requirements. The players are faced with the choice of how they want to meet this need: either they build cost-effective power plants that run on fossil fuels or they rely on renewable energies. This decision not only affects the gameplay, but also affects the environment of Catan. The game also places emphasis on many realistic details such as climate conferences. According to the manufacturer’s publisher Kosmos, various experts contributed to the game development.
Despite these innovations, the core of the game remains unchanged: you can still harvest, trade and build. The game is designed for three to four people ages 12 and up and lasts about an hour and a half. The price for “Catan – Energies” is just under 60 euros and should be available in August 2024.
The game “The Settlers of Catan”, which is now just called “Catan”, was brought onto the market in 1995 and received, among other things, the German Games Prize and the title “Game of the Year” in the same year. Since then, the game has sold millions of copies. Kosmos says it has sold more than 40 million copies to date and offers many expansions, including online and 3D versions.