Who is Big Cheek Games?

Two people, a growing collection of board games, and a name with a slightly silly origin.

Hi! We're Kris and Elena, the husband-and-wife team behind Big Cheek Games, a small independent board game publisher based in Basel, Switzerland.

We design games, play a lot of games, and spend a surprising amount of time talking about games. But it wasn't always like that for both of us.

It all started with Monopoly and Uno

When we first met, Kris already had a small collection of board games and a love for the hobby. Elena, on the other hand, knew pretty much two games: Monopoly and Uno.

So there was quite a bit of catching up to do!

Luckily, Elena quickly discovered there was a whole world of board games beyond those two, and playing games became one of our favourite things to do together.

These days, we enjoy all sorts of games, from deck-building and strategy to push-your-luck games and plenty more. Some of our current favourites are Nine and Dune for Kris, and Moon Colony: Bloodbath and Wingspan for Elena. And we're always happy to try something new!

From an idea to a game company

Kris had always had an idea for a board game somewhere in the back of his mind.

Eventually, he decided to do something with it and designed his first game called Alvaria (for our shelf only). Then came a second. And a third.

And the exciting part? They actually worked!

Of course, there was plenty of playtesting, changing rules, adjusting mechanics...But seeing our ideas work at the table made us wonder whether other people might enjoy playing them too.

So we decided to take the next step, register our company, and start turning our games into something we could share with others.

That's how Big Cheek Games began.

But why Big Cheek Games?

Well, there's no particularly clever board game reference hidden in the name.

It's mostly inspired by Elena's rather prominent cheeks. The ones on her face, just to be clear.

We liked the name, it made us smile, and it didn't sound too serious. So it stuck!

Who does what?

One thing we've discovered along the way is how surprisingly well our skills fit together.

Kris is the creative mind behind our games. He comes up with the initial ideas, develops the mechanics and rules, and builds the first prototypes. He also takes care of the artwork (except for Grid of Shadows) and even video production.

Once a game is playable, we both get involved in testing it, questioning things, changing things, and trying to make it the best version we can.

Elena handles pretty much everything on the business and organisational side: the website, social media, emails, photography, administration, production coordination, and all the other things that come with running a small publishing company.

And the funny thing is, we genuinely enjoy our respective parts. Kris loves creating, Elena loves organising, and somehow it works out rather well.

Of course, we still make plenty of decisions together, and there's never a shortage of things to discuss!

Our first published game: Grid of Shadows

Grid of Shadows is our first game to make the journey from prototype to publication.

It's a bluffing and deduction card game where players place cards face down and announce what they're playing. Whether they're telling the truth is entirely up to them.

One of our favourite parts of developing it has been taking it to board game conventions.

Before we started, we probably wouldn't have guessed how much fun it could be to play the exact same game over and over and over again.

But every group brings something different to the table. Some people start bluffing immediately, others take a while to build up the courage, and some are almost impossible to read.

Getting to play with so many different people, watching their reactions, and hearing their feedback has been one of the most enjoyable parts of this whole experience.

And what comes next?

Grid of Shadows is only the beginning.

We already have other games in development such as Bloom Hollow, Dustfolk and Escape the Mutant Zoo.

We're still a very small team, doing everything ourselves, figuring things out as we go, and enjoying the process.

So whether you've played Grid of Shadows, met us at a convention, or just happened to find our website, thanks for stopping by!

Kris & Elena

Big Cheek Games