Former Settlers of Catan studio shuts down as Asmodee swallows Agricola publisher

The studio that made Settlers of Catan a phenomenon is closing its doors after nearly four decades.

Mayfair Games announced that its 36-year history putting out beloved and influential games – most notably Klaus Teuber’s revolutionary Spiel des Jahres winner – was coming to an end after selling its entire catalogue of IP to mega-publisher Asmodee.

Mayfair previously offloaded its biggest franchise to Asmodee in 2016 after rechristening the game’s fifth edition as simply ‘Catan’ the year before, resulting in Asmodee’s formation of the separate Catan Studio, which has since focused on putting out various spin-offs and expansions for the ever-popular series.

As part of the deal, Asmodee has also acquired Lookout Games, the label responsible for putting out a slew of acclaimed Eurogames from revered German designer Uwe Rosenberg, including Agricola, Caverna and Patchwork, as well as recent Kennerspiel des Jahres winner Isle of Skye. Mayfair bought the company in 2013.

Lookout will remain an ‘independent studio within Asmodee’, an announcement confirmed.

The latest acquisitions follow quickly on the heels of Asmodee’s buyout of Dream Home creator Rebel and add two huge names to the firm’s already heaving line-up, which includes Fantasy Flight, Z-Man, Plaid Hat, Pretzel, Catan Studio, Days of Wonder and more – meaning some of the biggest board games of all time, such as Catan, Pandemic, Ticket to Ride, Agricola, X-Wing, the Star Wars and Game of Thrones games, Android: Netrunner, Dead of Winter, Splendor, and 7 Wonders, now all have the same home.