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Part of Settlers' success can be attributed to its well-designed gameplay. Carty said that the game is mainly played by families, but it's also popular on college campuses and as a team-bonding activity at companies. "Settlers is three to five years away from being a household word." Last year alone, the game's sales grew 35 percent. "The start of the tipping point was 2008," said Bob Carty, a spokesman for Settlers manufacturer Mayfair Games. It wasn't until a decade later that the game's popularity began to blossom.
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With sales nearing 25 million copies worldwide, Settlers of Catan is becoming the most popular board game since Risk and Monopoly.Īfter Settlers was first released in 1995, a small but passionate following emerged. Over the past few years, Settlers of Catan has transformed from an activity enjoyed by a small niche of gamers into a mainstream hit. In an era of Xboxes and Wiis, my gift ranked just above a framed photo of the gift-giver and just below nose hair clippers.īut multiple marathon gaming sessions later, Settlers of Catan stole my heart. Instead, I was staring down at a board game: Settlers of Catan. Last Christmas, I tore the wrapping paper off a rectangular box, expecting at best I'd see an iPad, at worst a Kindle.