Stories

Helvetiq announced in April the acquisition of the renowned wooden games publisher Steffen Spiele, further solidifying its position in the global games market. This strategic acquisition celebrates Steffen Spiele’s 20-year legacy and marks a significant milestone for both companies, as they join forces to bring timeless, aesthetic, and eco-friendly wooden games to a broader international audience.

After conducting research in the field of physics, Michel Mayor became the hero of a graphic novel. A look back at a colourful career.

A publisher that publishes books is logical, a publisher that publishes board games too, but a publisher that publishes both is rather rare! Yet this is the choice of Helvetiq since its origin. We tell you why, and how the two domains are closer than you might think...

 A word from Carey the author of Beer Hiking New England,  for which he drove over 20,000 miles, hiked more than 300 and tasted 228 different beers. 

The time has come for you to experience the winter season in a new way: with the warm January sun on your face and unforgettable landscapes at your feet. This year, instead of dreading the cold, embrace all this incredible season has to offer.

1) You have already published a book on Swiss wines, where does your interest in this drink come from and what is different with this book?

I never drank wine growing up in the US, but at university everyone drank (mostly excessively) beer and cheap wine. So it was a shock to move to Paris in my late twenties and discover that wine was good to excellent, that people drank it...

Finding gift ideas can be a real challenge. 

Here is a selection to make sure you hit the nail on the head! Ideas for kids, for adults, for adventure and nature lovers, for gamers ... there is something for everyone!

Katie Hayoz was born in the USA but has lived more than half of her life in Switzerland. She writes for all ages, from children to adults. She has a penchant for writing weird, silly, or scary stories and often tries to combine all three.

1) How did you come up with the idea of "tackling" a myth like Heidi? And why did you mix it with fantasy?

Heidi has been retold many times by many different people, so taking on her story was nothing new. However, those retellings are usually similar...

Can you introduce yourself in a few words and explain how you decided to become game authors?

Happy parents of 3 children. We live in the west of France, near Nantes. We have a lot of ideas and we decided a dozen years ago to put these ideas into concret actions... together! We experimented this creativity on many different supports, then one day, our first game idea came quite naturally. We then worked a lot on this idea. We loved this experience, other ideas came little by little. And, a few years later, our first game were published. Today, we have the chance to work as boardgame authors, together and full time.

Where did the idea for Toko Island come from?

The triggering element was the material idea: several trays glued one on top of the other, pierced with several smaller and smaller holes. In these holes, we put chips one on top of the other, smaller and smaller too. In order to access the deepest chips, you have to remove the larger chips that cover them! It is around this idea that we imagined Toko Island.

Can you explain the principle in a few words?

Toko Island is a cooperative and evolving game. The action takes place in the early 19th century, in the Pacific Ocean. Players play as a team of treasure hunters who lead expeditions commanded by different famous scientists. Each scientist corresponds to a different game mode, and each game mode offers different levels of difficulty. If you win, the corresponding scientist will give you a reward that you can hang on your «trophy booklet». Collecting these rewards will allow you to obtain special tokens that can greatly help you in your future games! To win a game, you’ll hav...

Heddi Nieuwsma moved to Switzerland from the United States in 2012. Since her arrival, she has developed a passion for Swiss cuisine, which she wants to introduce to other countries with something other than chocolate and cheese. Via her blog «Cuisine Helvetica», she shares recipes, stories and travel experiences. After «Swiss bread» she invites us to discover Switzerland through 45 desserts.

How do you usually pick or collect recipes for a book?

First and foremost, I want to pick recipes for foods that I love to eat myself. Then, because I always try to show the diversity of Switzerland, I s...