Days before the final episode of Survivor‘s 47th season, gaming company Exploding Kittens announced Tribal survivor has spokena new card-based party game designed in collaboration with the show’s Emmy Award-winning host and producer Jeff Probst. Designed for superfans and uninitiated alike, the Survivor card game attempts to mirror the social strategy the genre-defining reality show has become famous for.
This isn’t the first licensed game from the Exploding Kittens team to be released Exploding minions in 2021 – but co-founder and CEO Elan Lee’s excitement about this partnership appears to be more than just a smart business collaboration. “I’ve seen every episode of Survivor since the first season – 24 years ago. It has had a huge influence on my own game designs and my ability to create great experiences for our players,” said Lee in the game’s press release. “I’ve always wanted to bring the Survivor experience to the home crowd, but cutting a multi-week game down to less than 30 minutes was a challenge. After two years of working closely with Jeff Probst, we finally did it… with all the fun, strategy, alliances and betrayal wrapped up in one beautiful box.”
The game integrates the show’s nearly 25-year history into card play, including player cards featuring some of the show’s most (and least) beloved contestants. Throughout the game, players will form alliances and blind power players, all in an attempt to be the last two survivors, where they can argue why they played the game better than their opponent and earn the title of Sole Survivor and a million. dolla — er, brag.
“When we wanted to make a card game version of Survivor — we wanted it to be an entertaining experience for both older fans and people who just like to play games,” said Jeff Probst, host and executive producer of Survivor. “I knew the Exploding Kittens team was the perfect partner to form an alliance with to bring the game to life, and we hope people enjoy playing it as much as we enjoyed designing it.”
The gameplay uses iconic Survivor mechanics such as perks, hidden immunity idols and vote-based tribal councils – using the game’s box as a replacement for the show’s famous urn, in which Probst himself ‘counts the votes’. Examples of the cards used during the game include Reward Challenges, which require you to plan and strategize with other players; “The Spy Shack,” which lets you look at each player’s hand and steal a card; and the counter card “Sorry for You”, which prevents opponents from stealing your cards. Bonus cards also allow players to steal and manipulate votes, or even declare themselves tribal council leaders.
The game is best suited for players aged eight and over, accommodates three to six players and lasts approximately 30-60 minutes. Tribal survivor has spoken is currently available for pre-order for $19.99 at AmazonTarget and Walmart.