With only a week left in its condensed two-week campaign, Steamforged has significantly surpassed its target for Helldivers 2: The Board Game. As of now, the campaign for this one-to-four player tactical action game has raised over 2,000% of its original goal, amounting to approximately $1.6 million. The game is slated for delivery sometime in 2026. However, a notable detail in the world of pre-ordering is a caution about the Trump administration’s new tariffs on imported goods.
If you’ve supported a crowdfunding campaign before, you are probably acquainted with the typical statement regarding risks and challenges. Steamforged’s message is quite straightforward, highlighting their resilience through the pandemic and other obstacles to deliver on their promises to backers. Following this, there’s information on refunds and cancellations. Steamforged is participating in Gamefound’s Stable Pledge program, which promises a full refund to backers if any change in price estimates after the campaign exceeds 10%. More details about this unique feature of the Gamefound ecosystem are available on their website.
Further up, there’s an extensive section on shipping, detailing all the countries where this UK-based company is willing to ship its products. The list is extensive, encompassing around 60 different countries for delivery. For a game still in development and expected to ship by next year, this represents a substantial commitment, underscoring the company’s logistical expertise. They have navigated this process before and will likely continue to do so.
Yet, there’s an important note directly following that section:
Given the current uncertainty surrounding US tariffs, predicting the situation when the game ships in late 2026 is challenging. Presently, it’s unclear if US tariffs will be covered under our customs-free goal. Nonetheless, we strive to act in the best interests of our backers. We’ve handled all duties for our ongoing campaigns and will evaluate projects individually moving forward.
This serves as a caution rather than a guarantee. It highlights the unpredictable nature of the current administration’s policies, which diverge from longstanding norms in the board game industry. President Trump’s broad tariffs, which function as a tax on imports, could significantly increase the cost of imported board games, including Helldivers 2: The Board Game, potentially by over 100% of their retail value. If this occurs, consumers may be responsible for some, or possibly all, of the additional costs.
Let’s be clear: I am not criticizing Steamforged here. In fact, I commend them for providing a clear and factual warning, giving potential consumers and partners an honest heads-up about an already exciting project. However, for U.S.-based consumers, this is the new reality. Prepare to scrutinize your crowdfunding campaigns more closely in the future.
