Asmodee has made a major change at the top of its publishing operation, with Exploding Kittens CEO Carly McGinnis stepping into one of the biggest roles in the tabletop industry! McGinnis has been named Asmodee’s new Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President of Publishing, taking over from Jean-Sébastien de Barros, who is leaving the company after almost a decade.
From Kittens to the big league!
McGinnis isn't exactly new to the board game world. She joined Exploding Kittens in 2015, the same year the company's original game exploded onto Kickstarter, raising almost $8.8 million. Since then, she has helped turn the quirky card game into a global brand that has expanded far beyond the tabletop. Exploding Kittens has now sold more than 60 million games, while the brand has moved into areas including mobile gaming and television. McGinnis was also a co-executive producer on the Netflix animated series based on the property. That's quite the CV!
A huge new job!
McGinnis will now oversee a huge chunk of Asmodee's global publishing operation, including its studios, franchises, licensing and studio marketing. That means she'll be working with some of the biggest names in modern board gaming, including Catan, Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders and Dobble. The appointment comes at an interesting time for Asmodee. The company reported €1.68 billion in net sales for the year ending March 2026, although the majority came from distributing games from other publishers. Sales of Asmodee's own board games actually dropped during that period. More recently, its publishing business returned to growth, suggesting there could be plenty of room for McGinnis to make her mark.
Party time!
Asmodee has also been putting plenty of attention on social and party games, an area where Exploding Kittens has already found huge success. The company recently agreed to pay up to €250 million for French social and party game publisher ATM Gaming, while it has also launched US-based party game studio Moodbox Games. With McGinnis now helping steer the wider publishing operation, Asmodee clearly wants to build on that momentum.
What's next?
McGinnis' new role could have a major impact on what Asmodee releases over the coming years. With experience turning one bizarre little kitten game into a worldwide entertainment brand, she'll now have an enormous portfolio of games and franchises to work with. As for who takes over as CEO of Exploding Kittens? Asmodee hasn't announced a successor just yet.
One thing's for sure, though. The kittens have officially made it to the big table!
