Image Source: Stonemaier Games
The expansion to Elizabeth Hargrave’s popular bird watching-themed game Wingspan went on sale Wednesday morning, and received so many preorders that it apparently took down the Stonemaier Games website for a time.
The new Oceania expansion, which is scheduled to hit retail shelves on Dec. 18, costs $30 to preorder and promises to arrive in late November or early December. Stonemaier Games limited customers to two copies of the expansion due to its popularity and production limitations.
Fast Facts about Wingspan
- Players accommodated: 1-5
- “Best” player count: 3
- Stated play time: 40-70 minutes
- Lower age limit: Box says 10
- Rulebook length: 12 pages
- MSRP: $60
Fans of the game first mentioned the site crashes on Twitter, and Stonemaier Games President Jamey Stegmaier confirmed the issues at 10:30. The web store still worked, so hopefully not many fans were delayed by the inconvenience.
Wingspan’s original release was met with some mild controversy in that its initial demand far exceeded the initial stock. Stock limitations meant that many fans who preordered the game were not able to receive it until the second printing. They accused Stonemaier games of inadequately distributing the game to retailers.
Stegmaier apologized for those delays in a blog post on March 7, 2019, in which he explained that he vastly underestimated the number of copies they would need to initially make.
“The short answer is that in August when I asked my manufacturer to start making the first print run of Wingspan, I estimated that we needed to make 10,000 copies. I don’t have an unlimited budget, so I used the information I had to make a guess, and I guessed wrong,” Stegmaier wrote.
Whether or not fans were appeased by this explanation, the second printing of Wingspan arrived in mid-May.
Wingspan has been lauded since release for its unusually approachable theme, its scientific accuracy, and its robust engine-building mechanics. Hargrave has since designed two other games, Tussie-Mussie and Mariposas.
If you are interested in purchasing Wingspan or either of its expansions, please consider patronizing your friendly local game store to support them in this challenging economic time.