Cephalofair Games had a stand at UK Games Expo; of course, they did. UKGE is one of Europe’s largest expos, and Cephalofair is one of the world’s most successful and renowned tabletop game companies.
They also hosted a press event of their own, as a Frosthaven computer game is being released.
As a result, I had two opportunities to discuss Frosthaven, the board game, with various people. I now believe the future of Frosthaven is largely digital, and here’s why.
While you could buy Frosthaven at the board games convention – and trust me, there was somebody in the queue contemplating buying a whole new suitcase just so they could get its giant box home – what Cephalofair really wanted to talk about was the computer game.
When I asked about future plans for the Frosthaven board game, there wasn’t much to say. Yes, Cephalofair could show us examples of innovation and, frankly, really handy products, such as the Frosthaven Play Surface Books, which saves you from laying out little hexes and lets you flip open to a map and get going. It’s a great idea, but it’s not the 2026 headline news that a Frosthaven expansion or sequel would be.
Trying a somewhat dirty trick of suggesting I had heard there was a Frosthaven expansion coming out got mixed results but nothing concrete. Generally, the Cephalofair people shook their heads and dismissed that notion. At best, I got a reaction that suggested some contemplation – that a future game set in the same universe, perhaps an adventure expansion, might be possible.
The focus, though, was very much on the computer game, and there is some evidence to suggest designer Isaac Childres is very much into the idea that the computer game, or any avenue, as a way to introduce people to Frosthaven. There are, for example, several ways to play the game on Tabletop Simulator, and Cephalofair hasn’t shot these down. In fact, the mod thanks the team, saying;
Cephalofair Games and Isaac Childres for making Frosthaven and allowing us to make the mod including the permission to use the official assets.
So, you don’t need to buy a new suitcase and take a giant box home from UK Games Expo. If you want to dip your toes in the frosty water, you can try it online.
Not only do I laud that openness, but I also see the wisdom in not having an aggressive plan for loading more optional extras onto Frosthaven. Part of the Frosthaven pitch is that it’s a complete game ecosystem. You don’t need to commit to buying the next book that comes out; if you buy Frosthaven, you’ve got a standalone game to last you for ages.
However, I don’t think a new physical product could be that far from Cephalofair’s mindset. I would wager that the company is actively considering what else they could and should do. The publisher does not need to rush. The tariff situation in America, which has millions of dollars of their product currently in limbo, means Cephalofair can take their time and slowly consider what to do next.
To engage in some further speculation, I would suggest that Isaac Childres genuinely wants people to play his games. I suggest that, as a physicist, he’s not particularly fond of randomness, which gives us games like Gloomhaven and Frosthaven, but there are other types of games. I suspect he’s been typecast in the role of ‘big epic fantasy designer,’ or might fear he has, but ‘fantasy epic’ might not be his drive.
It could well be that Isaac Childres has a strategy game or a family game he wants to design. It’s uncertain whether Cephalofair would push ahead with that or whether the publisher would be cautious out of the fear that people would expect or prefer a new Frosthaven. I would not be surprised to find he is considering a family game; for example, that Childres is also considering publishing it under a pseudonym or as a silent partner. Maybe he’s already done so.
So, what has UK Games Expo taught me about the future of Frosthaven? We should be looking to Steam and the computer game for its immediate future. The tabletop community’s reaction to that digital version will likely determine what comes next.
Whether there’s a physical tabletop future for Frosthaven, or just a different, tangential project from Isaac Childres under the Cephalofair banner, we’ll have to wait and see.
A special thanks to Vortex Verlag for sponsoring Geek Native’s coverage of UK Games Expo. YoNative’set them at stand 3A-758 and find out about the exciting new Serenissima Obscura crowdfunding” campaign.
