Jamey Stegmaier, the head of Stonemaier Games, did something different during his weekly video blog on Wednesday. The company usually keeps news about future releases very quiet. They often only share secret code names in their release schedule. This time, however, Stegmaier decided to show teasers for all the products expected in 2026.
He laid out the plans for the coming year, giving fans a lot to look forward to.
The award-winning and best-selling nature game from Elizabeth Hargrave is getting its fourth expansion. This new addition will focus on birds found in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
This set will introduce a new type of bird card for the first time. These are smaller cards specifically for hummingbirds.
Stonemaier did not share details on how the hummingbird mechanics work. However, they did announce a new game board. There is a hint that this new board will focus on the new smaller cards.
Viticulture will also receive a brand-new expansion board. Stegmaier called this a “sibling” to the Tuscany expansion. It features a special “expert” worker system. Stegmaier said this new system “takes the pressure off of the ‘train a worker’ action.” The board boosts certain spaces for the player who is the expert at that specific action. It is understood that all content for this new Viticulture expansion will be included in the larger Viticulture or Tuscany boxes. This new board is essentially a replacement board. One side has the normal base game layout, and the other side has the new content. Stegmaier also confirmed that players will not need the Tuscany expansion to play. The new board works with the base game or with Tuscany.
Euphoria is getting a visual update with a brand-new Essential Edition. This is similar to what was done with Viticulture and Tuscany. There will be a newly redesigned board that helps distinguish the spaces better for more players.
Finspan, the final game in the ‘Span trilogy, is also getting an expansion. Stegmaier showed off some of the new cards. These cards have new icons that enhance the gameplay, though their exact purpose has not been explained yet.
Perhaps some of the biggest news came later in the video. Stegmaier announced an unnamed standalone “duel” game. This game uses properties from both Expeditions and Scythe. Players can use factions from Scythe to “duel” characters from Expeditions. The release will also come with a brand new faction for Scythe and new characters for Expeditions. Players can even battle Scythe versus Scythe factions if they want to. It sounds like Stonemaier’s version of a series like Unmatched, pitting their own intellectual properties against each other. We might see more content like this in the future.
For fans of Origin Story, the competitive trick-taking game about creating your own superhero, Stonemaier Games will publish a new mini-expansion. This will include twenty new stage five cards. This is the part of the game where the superhero comes out. Stegmaier did tease some of the art for these cards.
The final two announcements from Stonemaier Games are upcoming releases of a travel-sized version of Wingspan. This is essentially a cards-only game that fits into a box the size of The Crew. They also announced a new Stonemaier Games release of Namiji, which is the sequel to Tokaido. Remember that Stonemaier Games bought the entire Tokaido world and its games from Fun Forge earlier this year.
Until next time, laissez les bon temps rouler!
— BJ from Board Game Gumbo
