Reiner Knizia is back at work again, teaming up with Bitewing Games to launch Gold Country, a speculating prospecting game set in beautiful California landscapes and launching on Kickstarter.
That’s right, tabletop’s most prolific game designer has got another release coming in 2026, an interesting reimagining and reskin of his cult favourite game Spectaculum from 2012.
The master rarely misses and this is looking like a very interesting prospect for the year, with Knizia taking on board a lot of the potential downsides people raised in regards to Spectaculum and reworking it with this new theme and style alongside Bitewing.
Going for Gold
Most board gamers get excited by any Reiner Knizia release, so Gold Country will be a welcome announcement for many. The man behind some of my favourites like Ra, High Society and The Quest for El Dorado is probably the most famous designer in all of tabletop, and Gold Country is promising to be another gem.
With a player count of 2-4 players and a game time promised at 30-60 minutes, this could be a go to game that you whip out at the end of a long board game evening to finish the night off, or an easy Sunday afternoon game.
It promises thrilling commodity speculation and manipulation, tense stock holding and market developments, and strategic tile placement. And whether or not you were a fan of or saw the issues with Spectaculum, Gold Country looks to be its own game entirely, improving upon it with this beautiful reskin.
It’s unsurprising the game looks so good, with illustration from Beth Sobel, who has illustrated some of the most incredible looking games in the hobby, including Viticulture, Cascadia and Arboretum. Like those games as well, Gold Country looks like a cosy, if not quite tense experience as you compete in a gold rush with your fellow players. Developed by Bitewing Games as well with modern classics like Illiad and Silos in their back catalogue, all signs are pointing to Gold Country being an excellent purchase and a must back on Kickstarter.
The Gold Rush Commences
If you’re wondering when you can back Gold Country, you will be pleased to hear its coming imminently with it launching on January 27th on Kickstarter.
It has a look and feel that just screams a classic, with everything I have read about it really sounding like something that would fit perfectly in my collection.
Whatever your experience of Spectaculum was, or even Knizia in general, I do urge any tabletop fans to check out the Kickstarter to see if Gold Country sounds like your cup of tea, and if you’re getting interested and want to know more, you can find more information about it from Nick Murray of Bitewing Games on BoardGameGeek.
