The Great British Bake-Off board game is not coming to the UK
A trifle disappointing.
The Great British Baking Show Game will not be released in the UK due to licensing issues.
According to a representative from Ravensburger, the publisher responsible for releasing the upcoming board game, The Great British Baking Show Game – based on the UK television competition – will not be getting a UK release because the studio does not have the rights to use the name The Great British Bake-Off.
The Great British Bake-Off is aired in the US and Canada as The Great British Baking Show due to the trademark for the term ‘bake-off’ being owned by Pillsbury in those regions. It might have been initially confusing as to why the board game adaptation is not using the original name of the baking series. However, a Ravensburger representative at UK Games Expo last Friday informed Dicebreaker that the studio only had the rights to use The Great British Baking Show and not the original UK name.
As such, the board game will not see a release in the UK this coming August, despite the show originating from Britain and having become a cultural touchstone in the country.
The Great British Baking Show Game sees players becoming rival contestants in the competition, each attempting to make the best possible version of the recipes they’re given each round. There are three rounds in every game – each one based on the different rounds from the television show – with the player who scores the most points in all of them combined being named the winner.
Throughout the game, players will be assigned to create different baked goods by arranging various cards in specific patterns. Players can alter the flavour of their baked goods by using certain cards, earning extra points from the judges.
The scoring for each round will range from getting a great bake to even achieving a certified ‘Hollywood Handshake’, with players wanting to finish their creation within a certain time limit in order to avoid having to place a soggy card on their board and possibly risk getting a dreaded soggy bottom. Whichever player finishes first will gain additional points, whereas players that are struggling can play help cards in order to take extra cards from the pool.
Apart from The Great British Baking Show Game, Ravensburger is responsible for publishing several other licensed titles such as movie board games Jaws and Disney Villainous, as well as classic games such as The Castles of Burgundy.
The Great British Bake-Off is a television show that pits talented bakers from across the UK against one another in a competition that takes place over several weeks. Currently hosted by comedians Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas – alongside hosts Paul Hollywood and Prue Lieth – the show challenges bakers to create a different signature bake, secret recipe and showstopper every week. The show is now on its 12th series.
The Great British Baking Show Game is yet to receive a retail release price.