Panda Game Manufacturing Partners with Boardssey to Give Creators Free Access to Industry's First Game-Specific Project Management Platform

20-year manufacturing leader validates Boardssey as solution to creator disorganization; partnership includes free Pathfinder access for all Panda customers

October 21, 2025 - Panda Game Manufacturing, a global leader in board game production with nearly 20 years of industry experience, today announced a strategic partnership with Boardssey that will provide all Panda customers with complimentary access to the platform's Pathfinder workspace - priced at $15/month.

The partnership represents the first major integration between a global manufacturer and a game-specific project management platform, addressing what Panda CEO Michael Lee identifies as the critical factor separating successful game creators from struggling ones: organization.

"After nearly 20 years of working alongside tabletop game creators, we've seen that the most successful teams are those that pair creative passion with strong organization," said Michael Lee, CEO of Panda Game Manufacturing

Panda pioneered the sample toolkit, now an industry standard, and continues to innovate with their Design Toolkit and OMNIDECK

"Boardssey stands out as the first project management platform designed specifically for the tabletop games industry. Its creators are gamers themselves, deeply attuned to the needs of publishers, and continuously innovating with clever features that game publishers and designers will certainly appreciate. We're thrilled to partner with Boardssey and provide our customers with early access to a tool that helps them plan smarter, collaborate better, and bring their games to life more efficiently." said Lee.

What Changes Today

Effective immediately, Panda's customer base gains access to Boardssey Pathfinder, which includes:

• Project management for up to 20 games simultaneously

• Unlimited team collaboration with no per-seat fees

• Structured playtest tracking and feedback collection

• Real-time whiteboard for remote team collaboration

• 15+ built-in creator tools (PnP card layouts, 3D mockup generator, score pads, color blindness simulator, carton marks generator, and more)

• Professional games catalog with custom URLs

• Newly launching Sell Sheet Designer (beta) that auto-generates publisher-ready materials from game data

The integration addresses a documented pain point: most creators juggle 5-7 disconnected tools (Notion, Trello, Canva, Google Sheets) during development, then manually rebuild specifications when transitioning to manufacturing.

"We're deeply grateful for Panda's recognition of what we've built. It validates our mission to eliminate the chaos that kills creative momentum." said Anca Bujor, Co-Founder & CEO of Boardssey.

"When a Panda customer is ready to manufacture, their component specs, game data, and documentation flow directly from their organized workspace to production. No exporting spreadsheets. No hunting for file versions. No rebuilding what you've already documented. That's the friction we set out to eliminate, and having a 20-year manufacturing leader validate this approach means everything." said Bujor.

Partnership Origin & Industry Context

The collaboration began six months ago through existing business relationships between the companies. What started as industry dialogue evolved into formal partnership as both teams observed the same market shift: board game creation rapidly professionalizing while infrastructure remained fragmented.

The relationship's authenticity was demonstrated at Gen Con this summer, where Panda opened their doors and invited Boardssey to showcase the platform at their booth. Lee witnessed firsthand how Panda customers responded to the tools, validating the need for game-specific infrastructure.

Before partnership terms were finalized, Panda independently added Boardssey to their 25 in 25 Sponsorship submission form - a $25,000 manufacturing credit competition for emerging designers - as an example of professional infrastructure creators should use.

The timing reflects broader industry maturation. First-time creators now launch six-figure Kickstarters. Self-publishing has moved from niche to mainstream. Global manufacturing is accessible. But most creators still rely on generic software never designed for game development workflows.

"Boardssey's 400+ creators across 40+ countries have already proven the model," said Bujor. "This partnership scales that access through one of the industry's most trusted manufacturers."

What's Next

Both companies view this as the foundation of a long-term collaboration. Future plans include co-hosted educational webinars launching in November and continued exploration of deeper product integration to serve creator needs.

Boardssey users can expect benefits from the partnership as additional features and integrations are developed.

See It at Essen Spiel

The partnership will be demonstrated at Essen Spiel 2025 (October 24-27):

• Panda Game Manufacturing (Hall 5, Stand 5F100): Partnership demos, daily $1K giveaways, 25 in 25 finalist meetings

• Boardssey (Hall 4, Booth 4G315): Personalized platform demos, partnership showcase, Q&A sessions

About the Companies

Boardssey provides game-centric project management serving 400+ creators across 40+ countries. Built by game creators for game creators, the platform replaces scattered tools with integrated workspace featuring built-in creator tools, structured playtesting, real-time collaboration, and professional portfolio generation. Plans start at $5/month with unlimited collaborators. Learn more: boardssey.com

Panda Game Manufacturing supports creators from prototype to production with nearly 20 years of industry experience and facilities across multiple continents. Beyond manufacturing services, Panda invests in creator success through initiatives like the 25 in 25 Sponsorship ($25,000 manufacturing credit, deadline November 1). Learn more: pandagm.com

Media Contacts:
Anca Bujor | anca@boardssey.com | boardssey.com | @boardssey
Jennifer Lee | jennifer@pandagm.com | pandagm.com | @pandagm

Additional Resources:
boardssey.com/pandagm | pandagm.com/25-in-25 | pandagm.com/tools