USAopoly will release two new licensed versions of Talisman in North America and other select regions later this year. This will be the first time a licensed version of the game will be available. The new partnership grants USAopoly international rights to distribute co-branded renditions of the "Magical Quest Game" via distributors, online marketplaces and beyond.

"Talisman is one of the most respected table top games of all time and served as a gateway into gaming for many people," Candace Brenner, VP of Marketing for USAopoly. "Working with some of the most cherished licenses in the world to add our own heroic twists to the game, these upcoming thematic versions will let an entire new audience experience the grand adventure that is Talisman!"

First released in 1983, Talisman has sold millions of copies worldwide. The game's fourth edition, which was released in 2009, was granted the Ludoteca Ideale Official Selection award.

Media and retailers can learn more about the partnership and details on the upcoming games at New York Toy Fair (Booth #203). More about the licensed versions will be announced later this year.

Games Workshop To Try To Improve Warhammer Franchise
With a company like Games Workshop having such a lucrative franchise as Warhammer, we have to date seen many, many, games related to the tabletop game.

Personally, my first encounter with a Warhammer game was the impossibly difficult ‘Shadow of the Horned Rat’. A game I would only recommend to masochists.

There is, however, something of a problem with the franchise. Namely, that in terms of releases, the vast majority have been a rather weak affair with only a few standout titles. A good example of this was the Dawn of War series which started great, got ok, and ended up being awful.

In a report via PCGamesN, however, it has been revealed that Games Workshop plans to significantly up their standards in the future. Specifically, to ensure that better quality games are released.

Upping Their Standards
In the report, developers at Eko Studio has revealed that Games Workshop is, on the whole, largely unhappy with a significant number of games released or more accurately licensed by them. The developer themselves admit that they have been responsible for more than a few of these.

“I think the harder part was to convince them that we could do a good game. I think they are aware that they have done some not very good games.” – Eko Studios

In fairness, I think it’s a fair point. Having played many Warhammer related games, I think that they have mostly been, at the very least, disappointing. Space Marines, for example, was not bad but spoke much more of the missed potential.

Hopefully, this announcement will result in some far more positive releases in the future. We can but hope!