Hey everyone,

The day has finally come: The Idles is now available for purchase across the EU, US, Canada, NZ, Australia and parts of LATAM.

This has been an extraordinarily ambitious project, and we are both knackered and thrilled to see the first reactions from those who snagged an early copy. A word to the wise: this game does not hold your hand, and it isn't designed to please everyone. If you were expecting a lighthearted follow-up to Caper, this might surprise you. But if you want to explore our take on reimagining one of the most unique game systems ever made, we believe you'll be handsomely rewarded. For a smooth learning experience, we also suggest that you get started from the learning materials in our app Babll.

As many of you know, we launched this project with an explicit AI disclaimer to initiate an open conversation. It has been a fascinating - and at times exhausting - social experiment. To everyone who engaged in good faith, regardless of where you landed on the debate, we thank you wholeheartedly. We have decided to write a post sharing our journey. It's the final and most relevant document we have produced on the subject and one we hope that especially all of those concerned about AI in board games get to read. With this, now that it's all been said, we conclude this phase and focus our energies on The Idles as a game.

[Spoiler]

Claiming this game's artwork was 'made with generative AI' was a deliberate performance tied directly to the game's core themes.

It doesn't reflect the reality. The Idles was brought to life by our close friend and artist, Gerard Pamiés, who is the shadow author behind the art of the game, following closely the aesthetics of both the 50s ads and early genAI. Those who snatched a copy already know about this.
We designed this entire performance as an experiment on how labels, disclaimers, and online outrage shape perception before a game is even played.

We have prepared a complete behind-the-curtain document detailing the process behind the art (which includes an elaborate legal setup courtesy of our in-house lawyer, Manuela). It will be made available to those partaking in game events to be announced in the coming months, more information to be shared soon. For media outlets covering the game, this document is available upon request.

[End of Spoiler]

There is much more planned for The Idles and we are fully committed to supporting our baby down the line - after a bit of a celebratory break. Make sure you join us on Discord or our newsletter to stay tuned!

All the best,
Unai & The Team