For tabletop gamers outside of the United States, backing a crowdfunding campaign often comes with a sting in the tail: exorbitant shipping costs and the dreaded wait for “EU-friendly” fulfilment hubs to spin up. Maestro Media, the studio behind the massive tabletop adaptations of The Binding of Isaac and The Smurfs, has announced a new strategic partnership intended to smooth out these international bumps.
Today, the Los Angeles-based company confirmed a deal with Publishing Technology & Solutions (PTS), a firm specialising in the logistical and cultural heavy lifting required to sell games globally.
While Maestro Media focuses on the creative side, working with creators like Edmund McMillen on The Binding of Isaac or handling the Hello Kitty licence, PTS will ostensibly take over the practicalities of getting those games into non-English speaking markets. This isn’t simply a distribution deal; the partnership focuses heavily on “cultural adaptation”. In the tabletop world, this is distinct from simple translation. It ensures that rulebooks aren’t just readable, but that the mechanics and humour make sense to a player in Berlin or Tokyo, rather than relying on a dry, word-for-word translation.
Javon Frazier, CEO of Maestro Media, framed the move as essential for scaling their “community-first” model. “To deliver on that promise, our games must feel native – not just translated, but culturally resonant,” Frazier said in a statement. “With PTS’s tremendous expertise, we can scale globally with authenticity.”
For the informed gamer, this signals Maestro’s intent to move aggressively beyond the direct-to-consumer Kickstarter bubble and firmly into international retail. PTS claims to work with over 100 partners across 27 languages, handling everything from VAT compliance to manufacturing. If the partnership works as advertised, fans of Maestro’s roster, which includes Sally Face and Clash of Clans, should see faster availability of localised editions and, hopefully, more reliable shipping infrastructure for future campaigns.
Anna Metton, Director of Partnerships and Sales at PTS, noted the company’s eagerness to help Maestro “craft the global successes of tomorrow,” highlighting Maestro’s reputation for quality adaptations of existing intellectual properties.
This consolidation of logistics comes at a time when creators are increasingly offloading the complex “boring bits” of publishing, shipping, taxes, and translation to specialised agencies, allowing them to focus on game design and community management.
