by W. Eric Martin

Wolfgang Warsch's The Quacks of Quedlinburg — which debuted in 2018 from German publisher Schmidt Spiele and won the Kennerspiel des Jahres that same year in Germany — has been released in more than twenty languages and sold more than a million copies worldwide. By almost any measure on the modern game market, Quacks has been a continued success.

And yet U.S. publisher CMYK — which picked up the English-language license in 2021 — thought that it could improve the look, packaging, and components of the game to better suit its market. "We wanted Quacks to look as iconic as its gameplay,” says Alex Hague, CMYK's CEO, so the company reached out to Schmidt Spiele to see whether it would be possible to rebrand the game...and Schmidt Spiele agreed that they could.

What's more, CMYK changed the name of the game to reflect what many call it on a regular basis: Quacks. Yes, Quedlinburg is a real town in Germany, and the look of its buildings is reflected in the Dennis Lohausen artwork on the cover — but "Quedlinburg" doesn't mean anything on the U.S. market, so why not ditch it for a punchier name that will be more suggestive to an audience discovering the game for the first time?

To go with that title, CMYK commissioned a new look from Japanese artist Ryogo Toyoda, who creates 3D claymation-style images. Says Hague, who served as creative director for the redesign, "Ryogo Toyoda's art brings a visual energy that matches the deranged fun of the game. We can't wait for longtime fans and new players to push their luck once again."

Starting on March 20, 2025, CMYK will sell three version of Quacks through its website, with the game reaching retail outlets, hobby shops, and the Target retail chain in Q2/Q3 2025. Those editions are:


Quacks — which is the same as the base game sold previously, but with new art and graphics and a lower US$40 MSRP.


Quacks: Deluxe Edition — which is the Quacks base game upgraded with bakelite-style ingredient tokens and "deluxe potion bags for a more tactile play experience". This edition retails for US$60.


Quacks: All-In Edition — which is Quacks: Deluxe Edition, along with the two previously released expansions: The Witches (which was previously The Herb Witches) and The Alchemists.