CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Oct. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Sky Lion Games announced that its debut board game, Making Monsters, has been named the 2026 Barnes & Noble Family Game of the Year. Behind the family strategy game is founder Joe Welsh, whose experience finding comfort in board games during cancer recovery led him into publishing.
After being diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in late 2022, Welsh turned to family game nights and began venturing into game design. The former diplomat and robotics tech entrepreneur eventually teamed up with designers Jonathan Gilmour-Long (Dead of Winter, Dinosaur Island) and David Gordon (Finspan, Monkey Palace) to bring Making Monsters to market.
With his daughters and nieces, Joe and his family were inspired by the 72 beautifully drawn monster cards, all hand-illustrated by artist Brett Bean, and created a friendly competition to conjure the best monster pun names.
“During my recovery, playing games with my family gave us time to laugh, be creative, and just enjoy being together,” said Joe Welsh, founder of Sky Lion Games. “That’s what I wanted to share with other families through Making Monsters. I’ve always had a passion for strategy and playing games with my daughters and nieces, so it was only right they helped us build it along the way and make it a game the entire family could enjoy. After all this hard work, seeing Barnes & Noble name it Family Game of the Year feels especially meaningful.”
In 2025, Making Monsters raised over $94,000 through Kickstarter crowdfunding, more than ten times its $9,000 goal. It is now available at Barnes & Noble for $59, heading into the holiday season with the retailer’s Family Game of the Year recognition.
“We are very excited to introduce Making Monsters as the Barnes & Noble Family Game of the Year for 2026,” said Sabrina Falcone, Director of Games, Puzzles & Collectibles at Barnes & Noble. “In this fun and pun-filled game, players compete to collect the parts needed to build the best monsters for the Mad Science fair. Designed by award-winners Jonathan Gilmour-Long (Dead of Winter, Dinosaur Island) and David Gordon (Finspan, Monkey Palace), and with amazing illustrations by Brett Bean (Disney, DreamWorks, Scholastic), Making Monsters is sure to be your next family obsession.”
Watch the Barnes & Noble video here:
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Scream and sugar your way to victory
In Making Monsters, players take on the roles of rival mad scientists competing to earn the most points by building the most beastly monster squad of all. Key features include:
- Build Delightfully Punny Monsters: Draw parts, mix-and-match, and create wacky monsters to outsmart opponents with over 340 monster parts.
- Push Your Luck: Keep pulling monster parts to build the ultimate creation, but avoid pulling Rot tokens, going bust, and facing deadly consequences.
- Family-Friendly Strategy: Outsmart family and friends by choosing actions in secret, whilst attempting to deduce everyone’s monstrous decisions.
- Don’t Stop Moving: The antics don’t stop as all opponents play simultaneously, with a Lazy Susan board keeping the hilarious hijinks going.
- Hand-drawn artwork: Features 72 fang-tastically fierce monster cards, beautifully illustrated by Brett Bean, whose credits include Disney and Marvel.
Making Monsters is for two to four players, ages 10 and up, takes approximately 45 minutes, and is available now at Barnes & Noble for $59.
Assets for Making Monsters are available here: https://uberstrategist.link/Making-Monsters-Press-Kit
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d338659d-925c-43e7-a903-b8133d79be0c
A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7973c43a-401f-47cd-82d0-367234f78c8b
About Making Monsters
Making Monsters is a family strategy board game for two to four players, ages 10 and up. Players compete as mad scientists, drawing parts to build monsters, predicting their opponents’ actions, and deciding when to push their luck. Each game takes approximately 45 minutes to play.
Published by Sky Lion Games, Making Monsters was designed by Jonathan Gilmour-Long (Dead of Winter, Dinosaur Island) and David Gordon (Finspan, Monkey Palace), with artwork by Brett Bean (Marvel, Disney). It was recognized as the Barnes & Noble Family Game of the Year in 2026.
About Sky Lion Games
Sky Lion Games is an independent board game publisher based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, founded in 2025 by former diplomat and robotics entrepreneur Joe Welsh. The company takes its name from Joe’s daughters, Skylar and Kira, the latter of whom has a Lion as their spirit animal, making the studio’s name one to match their fierce personalities. Aiming to bring families together, Sky Lion Games delivers an unforgettable tabletop experience, combining easy-to-learn strategic play, hilarious antics, and the chance for kids to outsmart mom and dad for once. Its debut title, Making Monsters, was named the Barnes & Noble Family Game of the Year in 2026.
Learn more at skyliongames.com, or follow Sky Lion Games on Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. Join the community on Discord.
About Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest retail bookseller in the United States. The Company has more than 725 bookstores across the United States, as well as its online bookstore at BN.com, the Nook Digital business which offers both e-books and an audio book subscriptions service. Barnes & Noble also owns the stationery and gift retailer Paper Source and lifestyle brand Levenger. Amongst its bookstores, it owns Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver, CO, Books Inc. in the Bay Area, CA, and Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY and Cincinnati, OH.
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