Japanime Games, the company that Brings Japan To You, has licensed Fruits Basket from Crunchyroll, and partnered with ZU Studios on an upcoming project to produce ZU Tiles: Fruits Basket as an expansion to the popular collectible tile-placing strategy game.
ZU Tiles is a collectible, strategic tile-placement tabletop game for 2-4 players, where they build customized decks of tiles featuring creatures from the Japanese Zodiac. Players choose a creature (or creatures) to build customized decks around, in order to out-think and out-play their opponents. Earn points by creating patterns of “compatible squares” using creatures or by battling and capturing opposing creatures. The first player to 12 points wins! Think Collectable Card Game meets Dominoes...but with amazing anime inspired art and unique, strategic tile interactions.
The first ZU Tiles starter set - ZU Tiles: Hime Starter Set 1, launched in 2020 and won a Top Game of 2020 Silver Spotlight Award from Board Game Spotlight. With ZU Studios’ partnership with Japanime Games, the two companies plan to produce the next, ZU Tiles: Hime Starter Set 2, ZU Tiles Booster Packs, as well as a special licensed expansion based on the popular anime Fruits Basket.
Fruits Basket was chosen as an ideal anime IP to license for this project, and Japanime Games has partnered with Crunchyroll in order to bring it to life through ZU Studios. Fruits Basket is a popular anime in which thirteen members of a family are possessed by the animals of the Japanese zodiac and are cursed to turn into their animal forms when they are weak, stressed, or when they are embraced by anyone of the opposite sex. Wacky adventures involving the family and the protagonist - an orphaned girl adopted into the group - ensue!
Through this partnership, ZU Studios will reach a wider audience for their game, using our extensive distribution and retail network and convention presence to expand the ZU Tiles game and accessories to a wider audience than was possible before. Japanime Games, in turn, seeks to expand their anime-inspired offerings through producing additional expansions, especially ZU Tiles: Fruits Basket, through their licensing deal with Crunchyroll - it’s truly a perfect partnership!
Look for both games online at www.japanimegames.com and at conventions such as GenCon, Origins, Anime Central, and others throughout the year.
