It looks like Catan's settlers ran out of resources in the end: the multi-player board game Settlers of Catan (also known simply as Catan) has changed ownership from its old company, Mayfair Games, based in Skokie, Ill., to the French company Asmodee Group's North American division.

Asmodee North America acquired the English Language rights to Catan at the turn of the new year, and announced it in a press statement posted to the Catan website on Jan. 7.

First created by German game designer Klaus Teuber and introduced 1995, Catan has steadily grown in popularity over the past two decades, achieving a pop culture status among gamers and non-gamers with enough recognition to be spoofed in shows like the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation (which, to be fair, is more of a D&D/Catan hybrid). The tabletop RPG is also noted as the first German board game to garner an international fanbase outside of Europe.

 

Luckily, the change will not affect the 2016 Catan tournament schedule — Mayfair is staying on to help out the game's new owner with tournament-related affairs for the near future.

Source: Catan GmbH

Photo: Alexandre Duret-Lutz | Flickr