Hexagames
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Board game publishing |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Langden Hensley |
| Defunct | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Dreieich , Germany |
Key people | Langden Hensley, Jürgen Hagedorn, Joe Nikisch |
| Products | Board games (e.g. Lines of Action, Cosmic Encounter) |
Hexagames operated as a game publisher in Germany, headquartered in Dreieich between 1982 and 1992. During the 1980s, it gained recognition as a leading publisher, with notable releases including Lines of Action (1988) and Cosmic Encounter (1992).
History
Langden Hensley established Hexagames, securing its trademark toward the end of 1982. In the same year, Hensley collaborated with Jürgen Hagedorn to introduce the game Long Short. After the insolvency of the publisher Bütehorn around 1982, Hexagames absorbed several of their game titles into its catalog. Hagedorn stepped down in 1988. Starting in 1986, Joe Nikisch—who founded Abacusspiele—assumed the role of product manager, managing Hexagames’ product line.
When Hexagames ceased operations in 1992, some of its games were acquired by Sala, a Berlin-based company, and released under the Salagames brand; however, Salagames exited the industry within two years. In 1994, Abacusspiele reissued selected Hexagames titles. That year also saw Hensley lose rights to the "Hexagames" trademark, which was subsequently registered by BOB Marketing & Sales GmbH located in Langen, Hesse. Following this, other publishers released certain games such as Osiris (1995) and Karriere Poker (1996).
Awards
Multiple Hexagames products earned nominations or awards related to the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year):
- Spiel des Jahres
- 1987: The 1st Million, designed by Sid Sackson (nominated)
- 1988: Lines of Action, created by Claude Soucie (nominated)
- 1989: Uisge (1984) received a special distinction for "Most Beautiful Game"
- 1989: Abilene (1985), by Roland Siegers (nominated)
- 1990: Dino, authored by Reinhold Wittig (nominated)
- Deutscher Spiele Preis
- 1990: Römer, developed by Rudolf Ross (7th place)
- 1992: Cosmic Encounter, by Bill Eberle, Peter Olotka, Jack Kittredge, and Bill Norton (6th place)
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- 1992: Res Publica, designed by Reiner Knizia (1st place)
- 1992: Musketeers, created by Franz Josef Lamminger (4th place)
Other notable games
- Conquest, designed by Donald Benge (1984)
- Black Monday (1988)
- Karrierepoker, authored by Klaus Grähnke and Brian Walker (1988)
- McMulti, created by James J St Laurent (1988)
- Can't Stop Express, designed by Sid Sackson (1989)
- Digging, developed by Reiner Knizia (1990)
- Manager, by Peter Pfeifer and Waltraud Pfeif (1991)