Stonemaier Games said on Friday, October 23, 2026, that only about 5 percent of its new games are sold during their five day launch period, with close to 95 percent sold later by retailers and localization partners.
Key facts
- Publisher: Stonemaier Games
- Source: Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games blog, Friday, October 23, 2026
- Launch model: Ready to ship launches lasting 5 days, used since 2018
- Launch share: About 5 percent of total units
- Launch units since early 2024: 72,462, against 1,320,000 total units in print
- Link: Can a Ready-to-Ship Launch Ever Capture the Magic of Crowdfunding? on stonemaiergames.com
How much do Stonemaier Games sell at launch?
The launch totals are solid but small next to the company’s reach. Jamey Stegmaier shared ready to ship sales figures for four recent games on the Stonemaier Games blog, and he noted the company has 55,000 newsletter subscribers, 59,000 YouTube subscribers, more than 100,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram, and 15,000 Champions who get a discount on webstore purchases.
| Game | Launch earnings | Customers |
|---|---|---|
| Wingspan Pocket | About $255,000 | About 16,300 |
| Duel of Meloch | About $250,000 | About 7,100 |
| Braided Skies | About $200,000 | About 4,000 |
| Origin Story | About $92,000 | About 4,200 |
Adding up consumer webstore launch sales of new games since the beginning of 2024, from Wyrmspan through Wingspan Pocket and Duel of Meloch, gives 72,462 units. The total units in print for those same games is 1,320,000. Braided Skies is one of the headline games in our SPIEL Essen 2026 guide, where Stonemaier Games is showing it this week.
Why do crowdfunding launches look bigger?
Stegmaier points to six elements a ready to ship launch does not have. Crowdfunding campaigns focus on one or two core products instead of a bundle of unrelated accessories, they offer super deluxe versions, they run about 25 days instead of 5, they show live funding and backer totals that build confidence, they carry a sense of urgency, and they benefit from discovery on a shared platform instead of a single publisher webstore. The scale on those platforms is visible this week in our Top 10 Kickstarter campaigns ranking and in the news that Gamefound has passed 2 million backers.
Will Stonemaier Games return to crowdfunding?
No. Stegmaier says he has zero interest in returning to crowdfunding, and his last campaign was Scythe in 2015. Since 2018 the company has designed, produced and freight shipped each game before revealing it, then launched it ready to ship to customers and retailers at the same time. He says that method better serves customers and retailers, and that the launch sacrifice is worth it for the long retail life it creates, though he would still like to add a little more crowdfunding magic to future launches.
Source: Jamey Stegmaier, Stonemaier Games blog, October 23, 2026
Image: Stonemaier Games, via stonemaiergames.com
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