150 new games appear in the Netherlands every year. Then try to stand out. Henri (52) Groels from Valkenswaard succeeds. He came onto the market with the game Double Lucky 7. In less than two months it has already been sold more than two thousand times. That may not sound like much, but in the games world it is a top achievement. “This is really great,” says games reviewer Niek Ederveen from Eindhoven. Creator Henri now wants to conquer the United States.
The game is on the table in Henri’s living room. He had not seen this success coming. “At one point I was just here folding 150 games a day. I couldn’t really do my other work anymore.”
It is the first time that he has launched a game together with a partner. The game had to give a casino-like feeling. “We made it a bit fancy. The chips had to be the right weight. And the right sound.”
Double Lucky 7 is a card game. You have to predict how many tricks you will win in the round. You indicate this with a sheet. “It’s not chess or a very strategic game where you really have the advantage that the most intelligent one will win.”
“People in America are quite superstitious.”
The game has been two years in the making. Henri’s friends tested the game and it was continuously improved. The game will soon be released in the United States, Canada and Germany. Influencers will play a major role in this. They will bring the game to the attention of their followers.
“At first I had the name Lucky 13, but when we roll it out in America, thirteen is quite an issue. Many people think that is an unlucky number. In America people are quite superstitious. For example, in hotels you don’t have a thirteenth.” floor. Then it goes from twelve to fourteen.” It became Double Lucky 7. “The most common lucky number in the world.”
Niek Ederveen from Eindhoven is editor-in-chief of the magazine Spel!. He is chairman of the Dutch Games Prize and he reviews games. He tests the new game for Omroep Brabant. He is positive about the appearance of the game. “I think it is fantastically beautifully executed with a neat box. They have thought carefully about people with ‘color blindness’. It also doesn’t matter whether you are left-handed or right-handed.”
“I arrive at a 6.5.”
And then the question is, how does he like the game? “It is clear that the game is intended for people who like a bit of bluffing, a bit of gambling. The moment you want to catch each other flies with a beer and friends. If you sit down with people who want to play very strategic games, this is not the game for them.”
He thinks a major disadvantage is that the points double in the seventh round. That’s halfway through the game. The tension often disappears in the last laps, he suspects.
The game could be very suitable for the American market, Niek thinks. “Americans love gambling even more, casino-like games. So I think that would be a really good fit. And especially if it is such a hit here, they have also found a good way to publicize the game. Because you have to be found among those 150 new titles.”
What grade does he give the game? “The appearance gives the game a plus. I arrive at a 6.5. I think there is a large part of luck in this. I think I would quickly turn to the games where I have a little more influence.”