January 12, 2021 – Corey Konieczka’s new game studio announces first title. Asmodee USA is pleased to announce The Initiative from Unexpected Games, a unique board game of story, strategy, and code breaking by the renowned game designer. The Initiative is the debut game from new studio Unexpected Games. This cooperative game lets players take on the role of teenagers in 1994 who have found a mysterious board game called The Key. Not only will they play The Key, but players will help the teens through a pivotal chapter of their lives. Players will follow a series of missions linked together by an interactive comic book.

Learn More About The Initiative At The Official Page

The campaign is broken into a number of chapters, each taking 30-60 minutes to complete. Each chapter begins by reading a page of the comic book to begin a new mission. The story will advance even if players fail a mission, but winning may provide a reward in the future. Each chapter builds on the knowledge and story from previous chapters, masterfully weaving narrative, codebreaking, and mystery into one thrilling game experience.

The Initiative Preview Board Game Components

“This game started as a passion project,” Head of Unexpected Games, Corey Konieczka, explains. “I’ve been crafting this idea for years, and I can’t wait for people to experience it for themselves.” The Initiative marks the first release from Unexpected Games. Konieczka joined the team at Fantasy Flight Games in 2005 and is best-known for his work on such beloved games as Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game, Star Wars™: Rebellion, and Mansions of Madness: First Edition. He departed his role as VP of Research & Design at Fantasy Flight Games to lead Unexpected Games. “Corey has continued to impress me with his innovative and immersive game design over the decade. We have worked together closely and what I have seen so far of his first game under Unexpected Games is exciting and will get a lot of attention,” said Steve Horvath, Head of Publishing for Asmodee USA.

The Initiative 3D Box Corey Konieczka

The Initiative consists of 1 Double Sided Gameboard, 1 Comic Book (48 pages), 5 Action Cards, 4 Character Cards, 41 Large Mission Cards, 40 Resource Cards, 30 Secret Cards and more. Fans of games with rich stories with narrative twists and challenging puzzles are sure to enjoy this highly anticipated title. Players can find it at their local game store in Spring of 2021.

Source: Asmodee Press Release


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