What PHALANX does

PHALANX is an independent, privately held board game publisher specializing in historical strategy games, asymmetric design titles, and cooperative adventure games. Headquartered in London, England, with operational ties to Poland via the Vertima Trade production and logistics partner and a Polish-language storefront, the company has been publishing for roughly a decade (10-year anniversary celebrated in June 2026) on a small team of approximately seven core personnel. The catalog spans more than 20 titles covering periods including the Punic Wars (Hannibal & Hamilcar, Hands in the Sea, Punica), the Crusades (Lords of Heaven), Dark Ages and Viking invasions (Bretwalda, Saga: Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons), Napoleonic Europe (TRIUMPH, Successors), feudal Japan (Shōgun under the Sovereign series sub-brand), Pacific and World War II operations (Total Domination, Iron Blood Snow & Mud, Keep'em Rolling, 1943: Race to Rabaul, Tora Tora Tora), Polynesian exploration (Conquest of Paradise), and themed adventures (Hood, Dust in the Wind, Purple Haze, Nanty Narking: Rise of Cthulhu, A Very Civil Whist).

The company has no underlying software technology; products are physical tabletop games with art, components, and rules designed in-house and through partnerships with established designers such as Mark Simonitch, Volko Ruhnke, and a teased Reiner Knizia title. The technology stack is limited to third-party platform integrations: Gamefound for crowdfunding campaign management and BackerKit for direct-to-consumer storefront and pre-order fulfillment.

Business model is asset-light and dual-track. New titles are typically launched via Gamefound crowdfunding campaigns with backer tiers and stretch goals, providing pre-orders and upfront development funding; fulfillment is managed in-house and through Vertima Trade. After fulfillment, titles are sold direct through the BackerKit-hosted storefront on phalanx.co.uk and through retail distribution channels. Revenue is essentially transactional one-time purchase of physical goods, with no recurring subscription, no SaaS component, no advertising, and no licensing disclosed. The customer base is hobbyist board game enthusiasts — primary segment board game and strategy players seeking historical accuracy, asymmetric mechanics, and thematic depth — with no enterprise or institutional customer concentration.

Name

PHALANX

Legal name

PHALANX

Website

https://phalanxgames.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PHALANX is an independent UK- and Poland-based publisher of physical historical-strategy and asymmetric board games, selling 20+ titles via Gamefound crowdfunding and a BackerKit direct storefront to hobbyist board game enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tabletop Board Games

NAICS

Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (33993)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Miniatures Games & Tabletop Skirmish Games Retail (CRALALAH)

Keywords

• Tabletop board games
• Historical wargames
• Strategy board games
• Asymmetric board games
• Crowdfunding game publisher

Headquarters

HQ city

Not specified

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Board Game Sales: One-time purchase model for physical tabletop games sold through crowdfunding pre-orders, direct website sales, and retail distribution.
2. Crowdfunding Campaigns: Game development funded through crowdfunding on Gamefound platform, with backer tiers and stretch goals during campaign periods.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PHALANX is a tabletop board game publisher that designs, develops, and sells physical historical strategy, asymmetric, and cooperative board games. Products are funded and pre-sold through Gamefound crowdfunding campaigns, fulfilled to backers, and retailed via a BackerKit-hosted storefront on phalanx.co.uk, with manufacturing and logistics outsourced to Vertima Trade.

Product overview

PHALANX is a board game publisher that produces historical strategy games, asymmetric board games, and cooperative adventure games. The company operates primarily through crowdfunding platforms (Gamefound) and direct sales (BackerKit). Their portfolio includes the Sovereign series (Shōgun, Conquest of Paradise), two-player strategic games (Hannibal & Hamilcar, Tora Tora Tora, Saga: Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons, Punica), cooperative adventures (Dust in the Wind, Purple Haze), World War II strategy titles (Total Domination, Lords of Heaven, Iron Blood Snow & Mud, Keep'em Rolling), and themed games (Hood, Nanty Narking, Bretwalda, Successors, Rocketmen). Products are sold via pre-order campaigns and a physical game store.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sovereign Series: A series of strategy games featuring sovereign/nation-themed gameplay including Shōgun set in feudal Japan.

Products and services

• Shōgun (Sovereign series) Strategy board game set in feudal Japan where five clans compete for the throne through alliances, trade, war, and scheming.
• Dust in the Wind Cooperative adventure board game set in the 1870s American West where drifters pursue honor, fame, or gold through moral choices and shared storytelling.
• Saga: Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons Fast-paced two-player strategy game set during the Viking invasions of England in which players command either the raiding Vikings or the defending Anglo-Saxons.
• 1943: Race to Rabaul Operational Pacific War wargame by Volko Ruhnke about unforgiving logistics and high-pressure decisions at a critical moment of the conflict.
• Tora Tora Tora Fast two-player strategic game compressing the entire Pacific War into ten rounds of 90 minutes with resource scarcity mechanics.
• Hood Wildly asymmetric board game of rebellion, power, and unholy ambition set in Sherwood Forest with a Robin Hood theme.
• Conquest of Paradise Game of discovery, expansion, and ambition set in the Polynesian Triangle where players explore unknown lands and claim new territories.
• Punica: Rome vs Carthage Fast head-to-head strategy card game in which two players command Rome or Carthage and battle for Mediterranean dominance.
• Hannibal & Hamilcar Pair of two-player strategy games by Mark Simonitch that bring the Second Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage to life.
• Lords of Heaven Award-winning strategy game in which players conquer Jerusalem and rule the Holy Land by raising fortresses, building temples, and leading great battles.
• Bretwalda Strategy board game set in Dark Ages England in which players fight for supremacy over Britain and secure their place in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles.
• Nanty Narking: The Rise of Cthulhu Horror-themed strategy board game set in Victorian London where awakened Great Old Ones fight for supremacy over the city.
• Hands in the Sea Two-player naval strategy board game set during the largest naval war of the ancient world between Rome and Carthage.
• TRIUMPH Strategy board game in which players lead Europe against Napoleon's seven coalitions to determine the continent's destiny.
• A Bridge too Far Paragraph-based narrative board game in which players take the role of a Polish paratrooper from the 1st Independent Parachute Brigade dropped into Operation Market Garden.
• Purple Haze Vietnam War-themed narrative board game in which players lead a squad through the jungle and face impossible choices.
• Rocketmen Space exploration board game in which players launch rockets toward the Moon and Mars.
• Total Domination World War II strategy board game in which players lead the Allies or Axis toward total world domination in 90 minutes.
• Keep'em Rolling - 1944: Race to the Rhine World War II logistics board game in which players keep armies supplied and liberate German-occupied Europe.
• Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud Eastern Front World War II board game in which players unleash or stop Blitzkrieg with the fate of the Soviet Union at stake.
• Successors Strategy board game in which players claim their right to Alexander the Great's throne through diplomacy and warfare.
• A Very Civil Whist Card game in PHALANX's catalog that was shipped to backers in 2025.
• 1920: Nest of Eagles Board game in PHALANX's catalog that was shipped to backers in 2025.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GamefoundcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGamefound is the primary crowdfunding platform for PHALANX's game campaigns. All major game launches use Gamefound for pre-orders and backer engagement. Multiple game campaigns reference Gamefound links with referral codes.
• BackerKitcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBackerKit hosts PHALANX's direct storefront for pre-orders, games in stock, outlet sales, and accessories. Primary direct-to-consumer sales channel.
• Vertima Trade (Production & Logistics)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProduction contact: [email protected]; Logistics contact: [email protected]. Vertima Trade handles manufacturing and logistics for game production.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Legion Wargames: Legion Wargames is a boutique publisher of historical wargames and strategy board games. Comparable to PHALANX in niche historical focus, small-team operations, and direct-to-consumer plus hobby retail distribution.
• Dan Verssen Games (DVG): DVG publishes historical and tactical card-driven board and wargames. Comparable to PHALANX in historical/military strategy focus, small-publisher operating model, and crowdfunding plus retail distribution.
• Decision Games: Decision Games publishes wargames and strategy board games, including titles under the Strategy & Tactics brand. Comparable to PHALANX in historical strategy focus, wargame enthusiast customer base, and boxed-product publishing model.
• Academy Games: Academy Games publishes historical strategy board games including the 'Birth of America' and 'Enemy Action' series. Closely comparable to PHALANX in historical theme focus, asymmetric/strategic gameplay, and crowdfunding plus retail distribution.
• Columbia Games: Columbia Games is a long-standing publisher of block wargames and historical strategy board games. Comparable to PHALANX in target audience (historical wargame hobbyists), product format (boxed strategy games), and multi-channel distribution.
• GMT Games: GMT Games is a leading US-based publisher of historical wargames and strategic board games. Directly comparable to PHALANX in product category (historical/strategic tabletop wargames), target customer (hobbyist wargamers), and distribution approach (pre-order campaigns + retail).
• Compass Games: Compass Games is a US publisher of historical wargames and strategy board games. Comparable to PHALANX in its focus on historical military/naval strategy titles, designer collaborations, and direct-to-consumer plus retail distribution model.
• Worthington Games: Worthington Games publishes historical wargames and strategy board games. Comparable to PHALANX in product category (historical tabletop strategy), crowdfunding usage, and small-publisher operating profile.

Broad incumbents

• Osprey Games: Osprey Games is the board game imprint of Osprey Publishing, publishing historical, fantasy, and science-fiction tabletop games. Comparable to PHALANX in historical/strategy themes but operates at much larger scale with broader genre coverage and stronger global retail penetration.

Emerging players

• Asyncron Games: Asyncron Games designs and publishes historical and political strategy board games. Comparable to PHALANX in historical strategy focus, designer-driven development, and direct distribution model, though operating at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phalanxgames

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PHALANX