96% of you completed your survey on time. With that many answers in, we could decide how many games to send to each part of the world with a lot more confidence. Thank you guys so much for being on top of it. This is by far our most punctual pledge manager. We can't say the same for our backer updates or containers.
Where things stand
Nothing like good (bad) chart - this is a screenshot from our freight forwarder's tracking system.
Parks Europe wrapped up production on September 24th. Containers were booked well in advance and scheduled to depart between the 24th and the start of China's Golden Week holiday. None made it out of China on time. Our U.S. shipment is currently on the water, Canada, Europe, and Australia are sitting at the port, ready, waiting for their boats. And VFI should be receiving their truckload soon.
Based on the latest tracking information, here's when we expect containers to arrive at our fulfillment hubs:
Australia: late October
U.S.: early November
Canada, UK, and EU: late November
These are hub arrival dates, not doorstep dates. When a container arrives, it joins the queue behind other fulfillment projects and the holiday rush. We'll update you as each hub confirms its schedule.
What happened
In short, several things. A typhoon hit the factory that makes our wooden pieces and set production back a handful of days. That delay was small, but had a material impact in the end.
Our games leave China through a port called Yantian. This summer, four typhoons hit China's coast in about seven weeks. Every storm shuts the port down, and when it reopens, all the trucks and ships that were waiting show up at once.
To keep from being overwhelmed, Yantian started limiting how many containers it lets in each day. Those limits are still in place, so containers wait their turn before they can even reach the dock.
Ships are running behind, too. A ship that's late at one port is late at every port after it. And this is a record year for Chinese exports, with August shipments up 25% from last year, so more cargo than usual is competing for space.
Then there's Golden Week, a national holiday in China from October 1–7 that comes right after another holiday in late September. Many factories, warehouses, and trucking companies close for it. Anything that didn't make it out before the break has to wait until everyone's back at work.
To put this in perspective, port delays across Asia are now as bad as some of the worst stretches of the pandemic, with roughly one in ten of the world's container ships stuck waiting. This isn't a repeat of 2021, though. The ports themselves are running at full speed, so the backlog is clearing faster than it did back then. Plus we have almost 30% more container capacity globally compared to 2021. So far, the ports where our games are headed haven't seen the same backups, and we're keeping an eye on them too.
What we're doing about it
We can't make the ports move faster, but we can speed up the rest of the trip.
Putting backers ahead of stores. We're working with distributors in each region to set store release dates so backers get their copies first.
Paying for faster shipping where we can. In North America, we are routing our containers through the West Coast ports. And instead of using the rail networks we are transloading (i.e., throwing them on the back of semi-trucks) so they can be delivered directly to the fulfillment centers.
Working closely with our freight forwarder. That's the company that books space on ships for us. We're working with them to track every container, keep the paperwork in order so nothing gets held up at customs, and grab an earlier spot on a ship whenever one opens up.
If you've ever queued for a via ferrata on a sunny Saturday, you know the feeling: the route is open, everyone's clipped onto the same cable, and you move at the pace of the line. Our games are packed and clipped in. We'll keep you posted as each container departs and arrives.
Now for something lighter
Parks Europe made its short-feature debut with "a buffalo ditty" - While we know that the American bison is not going to be the star of Parks Europe, we felt the crossover was warranted. I hope it brings a small laugh and you enjoy a peek at the MPC game quality.
Tennessee game days Lastly, Matt was up at Tennessee Game Days, his local con, and put his advanced copy of Parks Europe into the gaming library. Lo and behold, that attracted a couple of backers! It was great to meet fellow hikers and hear about their experience with the game. This couple in particular are first-edition owners of Parks, making the jump over second edition and into Parks Europe. In addition to having a great experience with the production of the game and navigating their first game with the snow mechanics, they were pleasantly surprised with the competitive nature of no longer being able to dally on the trail. For those of you who haven't played Second Edition yet, one of the key rules we implemented (which we recommend implementing in Parks First Edition as well) is that now the trail is cleared when there is one color hiker left on the trail. This means that if one player has both of their hikers on the trail, they can no longer just take consecutive turns until one of their hikers jumps off the trail.
Two quick things from base camp before we head into the week.
1. The Pledge Manager Closes Monday
Your BackerKit pledge manager closes Monday, August 31, 2026. After Monday you will not be able to add or remove add-ons.
Cards will be charged on Tuesday morning, US time, for shipping, taxes, and anything you've added on. Check that the payment method on your BackerKit account is current. If a charge fails, BackerKit will email you and retry.
If you've already completed your survey, you're all set. If it's still sitting unopened, search your inbox for "Response Needed — Get your reward for Parks Europe," or head to your BackerKit account to finish up.
We're using your BackerKit data as of Tuesday to route games from our manufacturer to the fulfillment hub serving your region. Assembly follows, and containers start loading in the coming weeks. Accurate data now means fewer games crossing an ocean they didn't need to cross, and fewer delays getting yours to your door.
2. A Note on EU Packaging
The EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition directive (Directive (EU) 2024/825) takes effect on September 27, 2026. With this new transition, we needed to update our game boxes headed to the EU by adding two stickers to comply with regulations. Nothing changes about your game. Same components, same art, same ship window.
We've spent the last few years improving how we source and produce these games — FSC-certified paper and wood and plastic-free card packaging. We're also a 1% for the Planet certified business, giving one percent of annual sales to environmental nonprofits.
Questions about any of this — your order, your charge, the stickers — reach out to [email protected] and we'll get you sorted.
Thanks, as always, for hiking with us. Get that survey in.
Wow — thank you. 5,249 of you joined us on the trail and pledged $582,182 to bring Parks Europe to life. Mattox and I have been genuinely floored by your excitement over these last few weeks. Our mission to connect folks to their imaginations, sorties, and neighbors is just beginning!
THANK YOU AND HAPPY HIKING
What's Next?
We've got a pretty aggressive timeline to stand up the pledge manager, arrange freight from Panda, and prep our partners for fulfillment. Rest assured, the team is laser focused on getting games delivered on time. In order to accomplish that, we are going to ask y'all to promptly respond to the pledge manager. When your survey goes live, you'll get an email — that's where you'll lock in your shipping address, grab anything you missed, and finalize your order.
We have a little under 800 *Extra* copies. We will make those available to backers for a very limited time when the pledge manager opens up.
For now, you can hang up your pack, put your feet by the fire, and let us take it from here.
Stay on the Trail With Us
Don't let this be the last we hear from you! Head over to Parks Europe's BoardGameGeek page and click the heart button. PEU was #7 on the BGG Hotness! Thanks for y'all's part in that.
Happy hiking, Mattox and Matt
The mountains are calling and I must go. — John Muir
We’ve got a quick one for you today — an upgrade and an invitation to come hang out with us in person. Let's clip in and get to it!
Carabiner Sets - Now 3x the Carabiners
Samples of the base and colorful carabiners!
The Color Carabiner Set is getting an upgrade: instead of 1 of each color, you’re now getting 3 of each color in every packet.
Same deal as before — if you already claimed a set, this upgrade is already reflected. Nothing to do, nothing to change. If you haven’t grabbed one, they’re still just $4.99. More carabiners, more color, more Via Ferrata fun.
Come See Us at Gen Con — Booth #2113!
Booth #2113
Heading to Indianapolis? So are we (well, we are here already - I'm currently writing this from our hotel)! We’ll have a copy of Parks Europe at Booth #2113. We’d love nothing more than for you to swing by, check it out in person, and say hi. Seriously — come say hi. Meeting backers face-to-face is the best part of our job.
That’s all for now. Thank you, as always, for backing Parks Europe and being the best community in tabletop.
You asked for more videos (and all the associated BOOMS)...well here you go! Mattox and I jumped into TTS this morning and played a 2-player game of Parks Europe with Ranger Greta. Enjoy!
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