Games of Berkeley
Games of Berkeley is a specialty tabletop game and hobby retailer operating a single Berkeley storefront, e-commerce platform, and convention vending, serving Bay Area consumers, gaming enthusiasts, and families with games, toys, miniatures, and community gaming events since approximately 1980.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Games of Berkeley does
Games of Berkeley is a specialty tabletop game and hobby retailer operating a single physical storefront at 2510 Durant Avenue in Berkeley's historic Telegraph Avenue neighborhood, complemented by an e-commerce platform and convention vending. Founded approximately 1980-1982 and acquired by parent company Evil Empire, Inc. (a California S-corp formed in 1992, owned by three shareholders) in 2002, the store has served the greater Bay Area for over four decades. The product catalog spans Trading Card Game singles, board games, role-playing games (including Dungeons & Dragons and White Wolf titles), Games Workshop miniatures and Warhammer, hobby supplies, puzzles, toys, STEM kits, novelty gifts, snacks, and consigned used games. Four dedicated gaming rooms host recurring events for Warhammer 40K, Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, and RPG campaigns, supplemented by an annual owned convention (GoB Con) and a Patreon community channel.
The business operates a one-time transactional retail model across multiple channels: in-store purchases, e-commerce with domestic shipping, in-store pickup, and convention pickup. Pricing is unit-based with gift cards and promotional deals, plus a transaction-fee consignment program for used games. The e-commerce and point-of-sale infrastructure is powered by Lightspeed, a third-party SaaS platform. Customer segments are horizontal across the Bay Area, with primary audiences of general consumers, dedicated tabletop gaming enthusiasts, and families with children.
Growth has been incremental and organic, with the most notable recent expansion being the 2023 launch of Multiversal Trading Company, an exclusively online retailer operated by the same parent company. The company has no institutional funding, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and no publicly reported revenue. Its competitive positioning rests on long-tenured brand recognition, claimed largest game selection on the West Coast, community event programming, and multi-channel fulfillment rather than proprietary technology.
Games of Berkeley firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Games of Berkeley
- Legal name
- Evil Empire, Inc.
- Website
- https://gamesofberkeley.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Games of Berkeley is a specialty tabletop game and hobby retailer operating a single Berkeley storefront, e-commerce platform, and convention vending, serving Bay Area consumers, gaming enthusiasts, and families with games, toys, miniatures, and community gaming events since approximately 1980.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Games of Berkeley industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tabletop Games Retail
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH), Miniatures Games & Tabletop Skirmish Games Retail (CRALALAH)
Keywords
Where Games of Berkeley is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Games of Berkeley business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Retail Product Sales: Physical retail sales of games, toys, hobby supplies, puzzles, novelty gifts, and merchandise from their Berkeley storefront covering categories including TCG singles, board games, role-playing games, wargames, miniatures, puzzles, toys, and hobby supplies.
- E-commerce and Shipping Sales: Online sales through their website with shipping to customers and in-store pickup options.
- Gaming Room Rentals: Rental of 4 gaming rooms for events, open gaming, and community use.
- Convention Vending: Sales at local conventions where they vend products and offer pickup for online orders.
- Used Games Consignment: Consignment program for used games where customers can sell their pre-owned games through the store.
- Special Orders: Special order service for games not in stock, with ability to source rare and hard-to-find items.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual product sales |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Games of Berkeley product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Games of Berkeley operates a physical retail storefront and e-commerce site selling tabletop games (board games, role-playing games, wargames, miniatures), trading card game singles (Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon), hobby miniatures and supplies, puzzles, toys, novelty gifts, and apparel. The store features four dedicated gaming rooms used for organized community events, tournaments, open gaming, and room rentals. Additional services include used-game consignment, special-order sourcing for hard-to-find titles, and an annual gaming convention (GoB Con).
Product overview
Games of Berkeley is a physical retail game store offering a unified brick-and-mortar shopping experience complemented by an e-commerce platform. The core product portfolio spans Trading Card Game (TCG) singles, Dungeons & Dragons products, Games Workshop miniatures, board games, wargames, role-playing games, puzzles, toys, hobby supplies, novelty gifts, and consignment services. The store features four gaming rooms for open gaming and organized events including Warhammer 40K Meetups, Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon, and RPG campaigns. Additional offerings include room rentals for private gaming, the annual GoB Con convention, a staff-curated favorites section, current deals, and snacks. The parent company Evil Empire Inc. also operates Multiversal Trading Company as an exclusively online retailer since 2023. The e-commerce platform is powered by Lightspeed.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Events & Open Gaming
Companies that use Games of Berkeley
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Games of Berkeley technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Games of Berkeley partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Games of Berkeley competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cool Stuff Inc. Major online tabletop game retailer (Florida) offering broad selection across TCGs, board games, miniatures, and RPGs. Comparable in product breadth and e-commerce-first GTM, competing for the same national online buyer.
- Source Comics & Games: Minnesota-based tabletop hobby superstore combining board games, RPGs, miniatures, TCGs, and event hosting. Widely cited benchmark for community-centric tabletop retail in the U.S. mid-market.
- Miniature Market: Large online-first retailer (Mississippi) specializing in board games, miniatures, RPGs, and CCGs with very deep SKU coverage. A direct competitor in the e-commerce channel for tabletop hobbyists nationally.
- Noble Knight Games: Specialty used and new tabletop game retailer (Wisconsin-based) with deep inventory of rare/out-of-print titles. Closely comparable to Games of Berkeley's long-tail, special-order, and used-consignment capabilities.
- EndGame Oakland: Long-running tabletop hobby store located in Oakland, just minutes from Berkeley. Sells board games, RPGs, TCGs, miniatures, and hosts community tournaments — a directly comparable East Bay competitor with overlapping customer base.
- Cape Fear Games: North Carolina tabletop hobby store with strong tournament/event programming for Magic, Warhammer, and RPGs. Comparable community-event-led specialty retailer model.
- Game Kastle: Bay Area tabletop game retailer (Santa Clara) with multiple locations and a strong community-event focus around Magic, Warhammer, and RPGs. Closely comparable in product mix and event-driven GTM within the same regional market.
- Dragon's Lair Comics & Games: Texas-based hobby game and comics retailer combining board games, RPGs, miniatures, and TCGs with strong event programming. Comparable as a multi-category hobby specialty retailer with community-event focus.
Broad incumbents
- Barnes & Noble: National bookstore chain carrying a meaningful board game and hobby assortment. Overlaps with Games of Berkeley's casual/family board game and puzzle categories but lacks the hobby/TCG/miniatures depth.
- Amazon: Mass-market e-commerce incumbent that competes with Games of Berkeley on board games, TCGs, and hobby products via marketplace sellers. Not a community/hobby specialist but sets baseline pricing and fulfillment expectations for online buyers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Games of Berkeley social profiles
Digital presenceGames of Berkeley financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Games of Berkeley leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Games of Berkeley subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Games of Berkeley funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Games of Berkeley M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Games of Berkeley
What does Games of Berkeley do?
Games of Berkeley operates a physical retail storefront and e-commerce site selling tabletop games (board games, role-playing games, wargames, miniatures), trading card game singles (Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon), hobby miniatures and supplies, puzzles, toys, novelty gifts, and apparel. The store features four dedicated gaming rooms used for organized community events, tournaments, open gaming, and room rentals. Additional services include used-game consignment, special-order sourcing for hard-to-find titles, and an annual gaming convention (GoB Con).
Is Games of Berkeley a public or private company?
Games of Berkeley is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Games of Berkeley founded?
Games of Berkeley was founded in 1992. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Games of Berkeley based?
Games of Berkeley is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Games of Berkeley make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Retail Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are E-commerce and Shipping Sales, gaming Room Rentals, convention Vending, used Games Consignment and special Orders.
Who are Games of Berkeley's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cool Stuff Inc., Source Comics & Games, Miniature Market, Noble Knight Games, EndGame Oakland, Cape Fear Games, Game Kastle and Dragon's Lair Comics & Games. Broad incumbents are Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Does Games of Berkeley have an API?
No public API is recorded for Games of Berkeley.
What industry is Games of Berkeley in?
Games of Berkeley's product category is Tabletop Games Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALALAA, Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers, with a secondary code of CRALAFAH, Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming). Its NAICS code is 45912 and its SIC code is 5945.