Dear Superclub fans,
We’ve got some difficult news to share with you, but there’s only one place to start – with a big, heartfelt ‘thank you’. That goes out to everyone, from our very first test player to our last Rivals backer. Everyone who touched Superclub, in any capacity, over the past five years. Thank you so much.
Most of all, thank you to the hundreds of thousands of players who have carefully managed their squads of 11+ player cards with a smile on their face. Your passion and joy have been the motivation behind everything we’ve built. For every game night highlight you’ve shared with us, we know there are thousands we haven’t seen. For every kind word that has reached us, we know countless more have circulated without our knowledge. Many of you have been with us from day one, and you’ve helped us dream bigger. Perhaps too big.
Game over
On December 9, we filed for bankruptcy. The financial challenges we’ve faced over the past months have proven too big to overcome. Our last act, as it turned out, was to ensure that Superclub Rivals was sent out to all Kickstarter backers. Not a bad way to go. (Of course, some deliveries will have failed – nobody home, wrong address etc. These things are inevitable when you ship thousands of products. If it applies to you, please get in touch and we’ll try to help you as best we can when we can – probably in January. If you have already contacted us, we appreciate the patience and will follow up.)
It feels important to share this news with our community directly and explain the reasons behind it. The main factor leading to our downfall is easy to identify – the cost and resource demands of our licensing program proved too much, and our sales never reached the level needed to support the rights to clubs and leagues. It’s crucial to note that we’re not blaming the clubs or leagues in any way. Most of them have been nothing but exemplary partners, doing their best to help us through challenging times. We entered the licensing program with clear eyes and high hopes, but it simply didn’t create the excitement we believed it would. As it became evident that our core products were what our fans wanted more of, the financial obligations tied to licensing had already taken root, and the burden became too great.
Credits
We also want to take a moment to acknowledge everyone who contributed to making Superclub so special, starting with our small but incredible team. Our staff have poured their hearts and souls into making Superclub a reality. They’ve been the backbone of everything we’ve achieved, and it hurts deeply that we weren’t able to keep the wheels turning for them. We’ve gradually scaled down to cut costs over the past year, but even that wasn’t enough. That’s a tough pill to swallow, as they deserved better. But here we are.
Our extended team also deserves recognition and gratitude. Friends, family and our local community in Haugesund. The investors that believed in us, backed us financially and cheered from the sideline. We couldn’t have gotten this far without them, and we’ll make sure to bring them along as our journey continues. More on that in a second.
Lastly, a huge thanks to all the companies we’ve partnered with to spread Superclub around the world. Distributors, manufacturers, retailers, logistics partners, agents, pubs, agencies, freelancers … we loved meeting every single one of you and we hope to keep in touch. If you have any ideas for future collaborations, please reach out.
New game
So, what’s next? While this marks the end of our company in its current form, it’s not the end of Superclub. We can’t let it be – the world needs a great football manager board game. To put it in football terms, we’ve been relegated from the pros back to amateur status. It’s a big blow, no doubt about it, but there are worse places to start. That’s where the game began for all of us – with a love for the sport and a drive to create something special.
We’re starting a new company called Superclub Studio. With the lessons we’ve learned, the passion we still carry, and your continued support, we believe we can rebuild stronger and smarter. It will take time and we do ask for your patience, but our focus remains unchanged: creating the best football management board games out there. We’ll continue to work tirelessly, after finishing our day jobs, to bring you new experiences that capture the joy and strategy of the beautiful game. That starts with Superclub Rivals.
To all of you who’ve been part of this journey – thank you. Thank you for believing in us, for sharing Superclub with your friends and family, and for being the most incredible fanbase we could ask for. This isn’t goodbye; it’s only goodbye for now. In football, there’s always next season.
We’ll share more updates when we have them. Until then, keep the spirit of Superclub alive in your homes and game nights.
With endless gratitude,
The Superclub Team 💚