Bringing Fun into the Game
Interview with Andreas Finkernagel, Managing Director, and Karsten Esser, Managing Director of Pegasus Spiele GmbH
Having fun, diving into other worlds, taking on exciting roles, escaping from everyday life – games are currently experiencing a renaissance, being highly popular among families, with friends, young and old alike. Playing means more than just having 'fun'. Games promote social skills and social cohesion. No wonder that Pegasus Spiele GmbH, a publishing and distribution company from Friedberg, is currently having an easy game.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Finkernagel, Mr. Esser, a famous quote by Friedrich Schiller goes, 'Man is only completely human where he plays.' Scientists describe playing as a natural need of humans. It is not for nothing that we speak of an innate play instinct. Do you personally know this play instinct?
Andreas Finkernagel: We ourselves love games! This company was ultimately founded for this very reason; because we have always played since childhood.
Karsten Esser: We have turned our hobby into our profession. Even today, our passion for games is the central driving force of the company. Not just our passion, but that of the entire team. Pegasus is nothing other than a company by players for players.
Wirtschaftsforum: Pegasus has 50 employees, revenue in the tens of millions, more than 5,000 games and toys, and as many awards and prizes as no other company in the industry. How did this extraordinary development come about?
Andreas Finkernagel: We started modestly and often had the right instincts. In 1993, we realized our idea to run our own game store in a shop vacated by my parents. On 30 sq meters, we started very traditionally with board games and puzzles. However, our passion has always been for fantasy and role-playing games, which was very unusual at the time.
Karsten Esser: ‚The Lord of the Rings‘ for example didn’t even exist yet. We purchased a license for role-playing games in the first year and published it, developed our own magazines, and continuously evolved, from fantasy role-playing games to board and card and expert games. We have grown overall with the products.
Wirtschaftsforum: Did 'Lord of the Rings' then cause a boom?
Karsten Esser: Yes, after that the demand for fantasy games exploded. We were already well-positioned and consistently seized this trend. Additionally, new themes became mainstream, including due to successful series like 'Big Bang Theory'.
Andreas Finkernagel: What decisively pushed us forward, of course, were the many awards and prizes. In 2009, 'Pandemic' was nominated for Game of the Year, in 2010 the dice game 'Bronze Age', in 2011 'Strasbourg', the first connoisseur's game. In 2014, 'Camel up' was Game of the Year, in 2017 'King Domino', in 2018 'Azul'. For children's games, the awards went to 'Village' in 2012, and to 'Istanbul' in 2014. These awards have an incredibly positive sales impact.
Wirtschaftsforum: To what extent does Corona affect business?
Karsten Esser: The game market has grown by 20% during the Corona crisis; we feel this significantly. People have more time to play and are discovering a new joy in playing.
Andreas Finkernagel: Many have realized that digital games cannot simply replace real, analog games. It's about sociability and interacting with one another; humans need this sociability. During the pandemic, family games are booming; eventually, families will also discover the more complex games, the connoisseur games, for themselves. In recent years, board games with story-telling elements have been in very high demand – perfect for escaping everyday life.
Wirtschaftsforum: Trade fairs play a major role for companies like Pegasus. How do you market the products during Corona times?
Andreas Finkernagel: Like most others, we rely on digital channels. The 'Spiel' fair was held digitally for the first time; it was a great success for us. In addition, we have Designer Days, where game designers present their prototypes to publishers. Over Zoom, 181 game designers from more than 20 countries presented 343 prototypes. We offer digital training for retailers, and we have also implemented our dealer day digitally.
Karsten Esser: We have found various ways to start creative marketing campaigns. For example, at Easter, there was a digital Easter egg hunt where children sent our employees on an Easter egg hunt via mobile phones.
Wirtschaftsforum: Where do you see Pegasus in the future?
Karsten Esser: We have such a great team here from a variety of fields; biologists, lawyers, philosophers, mathematicians. They are all passionate gamers. These are excellent conditions to stay flexible, agile, and mobile.
Andreas Finkernagel: We have long since reached our initially targeted scale; likewise numerous awards and recognitions. We have a brand awareness of 17% in Germany. Our goal is to establish ourselves as a popular gaming brand and to increasingly focus on the USA. But above all, we want to continue working with passion and enthusiasm. That is our greatest happiness.