CMON, long one of the biggest names in board games publishing, has had a very rough few years, losing tens of millions of dollars as it struggles to adapt to a market caught right in the middle of massive shifts in the global economic and political landscape. The good news is that the company has a plan to get itself out of this mess. The bad news is that it's maybe the worst plan imaginable.
Despite being well into the red, CMON's board have just decided to spend over $2 million buying Blissful Link, a company that makes play-to-earn NFT games, and use that foothold as a means to turn some of their traditional board games into "high-quality digital assets". By which they mean "video games with NFTs in them".
Here's an excerpt from the company's purchase filing that is, in 2026 and with the NFT boom already in the history books, staggering reading:
Digital transitioning would have the benefits of enhanced visual effects, have apps that handle scoring, timing etc, would enable a diversified number of players and are more accommodating to players not within the same vicinity. Added to this, entering into Web3 projects often emphasise social responsibility and ethical practices such as transparency and fairness on decision marking. By participating in Web3 projects, the Company can demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility and sustainability. However, the Group would continue to supplement this digital transformation as physical games would still offer a “screen break” for individuals as well as foster direct face to face interaction.
Social responsibility! Screen breaks! Web3 bullshit in the year 2026! None of this works or is real! Whoever thought of this, let alone signed off on it, isn't fit to get my kid out of the $10 boba debt he's in, let alone a company owing tens of millions of dollars.
