“It is with profound sadness that we at Catan Studio acknowledge the passing of Klaus Teuber, legendary game designer and creator of the beloved board game Catan,” the game publisher’s said in a statement posted to Facebook and other social media platforms Tuesday. “Our hearts go out to Klaus’ family during this incredibly difficult time.
Since then, the game has become a part of mainstream gaming culture, even expanding beyond its analog format. In 2019, Catan became available to play on the Nintendo Switch. And in early 2020, the company said sales shot up as people sheltered at home in the early days of the pandemic. “The company says sales skyrocketed by 144% for the first five months of this year,” NPR reported in 2020. Today, Catan is available in over 40 languages, according to the game’s site.
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