Blue Orange

Blue Orange is a French board-game publisher headquartered in Pont-à-Mousson. The company was founded in 2005 by Jalal Amraouza and Timothée Leroy under the name Jactalea. Its publishing program is aimed at broad audiences rather than a single specialist gaming segment, covering games for children, families, teenagers, and adults. The catalog includes dexterity, strategy, abstract, educational, and family-oriented titles, with examples such as Kingdomino, Photosynthesis, Mr. Wolf, Dr Eureka, New York 1901, Battle Sheep, Gobblet, Okiya, and Sherlock Express. The company operates within a wider Blue Orange Group that includes Blue Orange Edition in France, Blue Orange Games in the United States, and the French Blue Orange distribution and publishing operation. Blue Orange Edition is described as the group’s engineering and development consultancy: it works with game authors internationally and evaluates more than 1,000 game prototypes each year. Blue Orange Games distributes the group’s games in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, while Blue Orange’s French operation handles approval, validation, and distribution in other international regions. The group’s games are distributed across five continents and in 59 countries. The Jactalea name was changed to Blue Orange in 2013 after the company’s owner met Thierry Denoual, the founder of Blue Orange Games. The shared naming structure distinguishes the French and North American entities while presenting them as parts of the same international group. Blue Orange is sometimes confused with Blue Orange Games, although the two are separate entities within the group structure. The publisher emphasizes accessible play and the physical character of its products. Its games commonly use wood, tin, resin, and recycled or recyclable materials. The company has released approximately ten new board games per year, according to the referenced encyclopedia material. Its titles have received recognition in European and North American awards programs, including Spiel des Jahres-related recommendations and nominations, Kinderspiel des Jahres recognition, Mensa Select awards, UK Games Expo awards, and other national or international game prizes. In 2025, Blue Orange expanded beyond physical tabletop products when Kingdomino was released as a mobile video game. The adaptation supports online and local play and uses redesigned animation and visual direction for the digital format. The physical edition of the board game was also visually redesigned at the same time. This represented the company’s first stated move into video games, while its core business remained board-game publishing and international distribution.

Blue Orange began in France in 2005 as Jactalea, founded by Jalal Amraouza and Timothée Leroy. From the outset, the company developed and published tabletop games intended to be approachable to a wide audience. Its scope included games for children, families, teenagers, and adults rather than concentrating solely on hobby strategy games or a single age group. The company later became part of a broader Blue Orange Group structure. The group brought together Blue Orange Edition in France, Blue Orange Games in the United States, and the French Blue Orange operation responsible for approving, validating, and distributing games in much of the international market. Blue Orange Edition functions as an engineering and consulting arm connected with game authors around the world. It reportedly tests more than 1,000 game submissions or prototypes annually. Blue Orange Games serves as a distributor for the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, while the French operation distributes in Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. Group distribution reaches five continents and 59 countries. In 2013, Jactalea adopted the Blue Orange name. The change followed a meeting between the company’s owner and Thierry Denoual, who founded Blue Orange Games. The naming relationship has led to occasional confusion between the French publisher and the North American distribution entity, but the referenced material presents them as distinct organizations within the same group. Blue Orange’s catalog has developed around physical games using components such as wood, tin, resin, and recycled or recyclable materials. The company has released around ten new board games annually. Its portfolio includes dexterity titles such as Dr Eureka and Panic Mansion, family and strategy games such as Kingdomino and Battle Sheep, abstract games such as Okiya and Kamon, and children’s titles including Mr. Wolf, Pengoloo, and Gobblet Gobblers. The publisher’s titles have received recognition across multiple markets. Kingdomino, Battle Sheep, New York 1901, Baobab, Dr Eureka, ChickyBoom, Mr. Wolf, Photosynthesis, Panic Mansion, and other titles appear in award results, nominations, recommendations, or finalist listings from organizations and programs including Spiel des Jahres-related awards, Kinderspiel des Jahres, Mensa Select, UK Games Expo, ASTRA, Gouden Ludo, Vuoden Peli, and other national awards. In 2025, Blue Orange moved into digital entertainment with a mobile adaptation of Kingdomino. The version supports online and local play and gives the tabletop property new animation and art direction. The board game itself received a visual redesign in connection with the release. This marked the company’s first described entry into video games, extending a business historically centered on physical board-game design, publishing, and distribution.

• 2025

  Kingdomino enters mobile gaming

  [1]Blue Orangeen.wikipedia.org

  Blue Orange releases a mobile Kingdomino adaptation with online and local modes and redesigns the physical game’s visual presentation.

• 2019

  Mr. Wolf wins a children's game award

  [1]Blue Orangeen.wikipedia.org

  Mr. Wolf receives the As d'Or Children's Game of the Year award.

• 2017

  Kingdomino and other titles gain international recognition

  [1]Blue Orangeen.wikipedia.org

  Kingdomino receives game-of-the-year recognition in Germany and Italy and a Gouden Ludo family-game award, while several other Blue Orange titles receive awards or recommendations.

• 2013

  Jactalea adopts the Blue Orange name

  [1]Blue Orangeen.wikipedia.org

  The company changes its name to Blue Orange after a meeting involving its owner and Thierry Denoual, founder of Blue Orange Games.

• 2005

  Jactalea is founded

  [1]Blue Orangeen.wikipedia.org

  Jalal Amraouza and Timothée Leroy found the French board-game company under the name Jactalea.

An internationally distributed French board-game publisher focused on accessible, visually distinctive games for children, families, and general audiences, with products often made from wood, tin, resin, or recycled and recyclable materials.

• Family strategy board game

  Kingdomino

  A prominent Blue Orange family title and one of the company’s internationally recognized games. It later received a mobile adaptation supporting online and local play, accompanied by redesigned digital art direction and a refreshed physical presentation.

• Strategy board game

  Photosynthesis

  A Blue Orange strategy title included among the publisher’s internationally distributed catalog and recognized through the Mensa Select program in 2018.

• Children's board game

  Mr. Wolf

  A children’s game from Blue Orange that received the As d’Or Children’s Game of the Year award in 2019.

• Dexterity game

  Dr Eureka

  A dexterity-oriented Blue Orange title that received recognition from ASTRA and was named Game of the Year in Finland in 2017.

• Strategy board game

  New York 1901

  A strategy game in the Blue Orange catalog that won a Vuoden Peli strategy award and a Mensa Select distinction, and was nominated for Gioco dell’Anno.

• Family strategy game

  Battle Sheep

  A family-focused Blue Orange game that received Spiel des Jahres recommendation-related recognition and won family-game awards in Denmark and Finland.

• Abstract strategy game

  Gobblet

  An abstract game associated with the Blue Orange catalog. Its children’s variant, Gobblet Gobblers, received a best children’s game award in 2004.

• Family deduction game

  Sherlock Express

  A family-oriented deduction title listed among Blue Orange’s published games.

• Dexterity board game

  Panic Mansion

  A dexterity title in the Blue Orange catalog that was nominated for the 2018 Kinderspiel des Jahres.

• Family dexterity game

  Slide Quest

  A family dexterity title included among Blue Orange’s published games.

• 2025

  Extend Kingdomino into mobile gamingProduct launch

  Background

  Blue Orange had historically focused on physical tabletop products and international board-game distribution.

  Action taken

  The company released a mobile Kingdomino adaptation with online and local play, new animation, and redesigned digital art direction.

  Aftermath

  The launch marked Blue Orange’s first stated entry into the video-game market and coincided with a visual redesign of the physical board game.

  Source

• 2013

  Rebrand Jactalea as Blue OrangeStrategy

  Background

  The company operated under the Jactalea name before developing a naming relationship with Blue Orange Games.

  Action taken

  It adopted the Blue Orange name and became associated with a wider group structure spanning French publishing, French international distribution, and North American distribution.

  Aftermath

  The Blue Orange identity was used for the French company and its international activities, although the French publisher and Blue Orange Games remained separate entities.

  Source

1. 1Blue Orangeen.wikipedia.org