June not only marked the 20th anniversary of Kheper Games, it also denoted another milestone for the company – reaching its 20 millionth game sold.
Kheper Games, Inc. started in 1994 as Kheper Publishing.
Our products can be found in Spencer Gifts, Urban Outfitters, Francesca Collections, Go! Games Stores, and adult boutique stores internationally.
“I started Kheper Games, Inc. in 1994, shortly after graduating college,” Kheper Games CEO Brian Pellham said. “I had always enjoyed creating games for my friends to play growing up, so it was a passion of mine that has stayed with me from a very early age. I still remember the feeling of how excited I was to see my friends so entertained by a game of dares I had written at age 10. The prize was a tub of gummy bears and the party guests all wanted to win, so they were willing to lick the drapes, sizzle on the floor like bacon and do all sort of other crazy dares.”
Kheper Publishing’s first release was the book “A Partier’s Guide to 51 Drinking Games.”
In honor of the anniversary, Kheper Games offered its customers a sale on the 20 products that helped them achieve success through the years as the company’s bestsellers. According to Pellham, its first book sold more than ½ million copies before sales started to falter and it was converted into the now top-selling boxed drinking games set, “The 51 Most Popular Drinking Games.”
Pellham told XBIZ about his professional life leading up to Kheper Games.
“I worked my full-time job as a technical writer at Microsoft, AT&T Wireless, and Boeing for the next five years [following the success of ‘The 51 Most Popular Drinking Games’, all the while writing more games and publishing three more game books — two of which I co-authored with a good friend, Allison Kent. In 1999, I got my ‘big break’ when Spencer Gifts tested two of our games books and rolled out ‘A Partier’s Guide to 51 Drinking Games.’
“Shortly after in 2000, I pulled in a handful of investors, including my brother Tony Pellham (who later became our Operations V.P.), and launched Kheper Games, Inc.”
According to Pellham, he started launching romance games, drinking games, as well as other adult party games. Many were instant successes that still are bestsellers for the company today, he says.
‘What the F*ck?,’ a drinking games of outrageous questions, Beer! a strategy drinking card game, Sex! a card game of sex positions, and Weed! A strategic game of growing pot plants have all sold so well that Kheper has since expanded each product line.
Along with the growth of its product line, Kheper Games also has picked up new customers along the way.
“Our products can be found in Spencer Gifts, Urban Outfitters, Francesca Collections, Go! Games Stores, and adult boutique stores internationally,” Pellham said. “ We reach over 100 countries with our products, with our strongest distribution channels outside of the U.S. in Europe, Australia, India, Canada, Mexico and Latin America. Products of ours are in up to 12 languages with the most prevalent being English, German, Spanish and French.”
Pellham says he has the recipe for success.
“We offer our customers value and an abundance of creative ideas within the games we write, produce and market,” Pellham said. “Our romance games are designed to help couples resolve issues in their relationships in fun and playful ways, and our party games are designed to keep people laughing and entertained.”
According to Pellham, a good romance game has the potential to fix relationships.
“A good game for adults will not only entertain whoever is playing the games,” Pellham says, “but it will also offer relationship value. Party, bride-to-be and drinking games help a host or party guest feel appreciated because they are making people laugh. Romance games are a fun way for a person in a relationship to navigate changes and improvements to the couple’s love life. Some games offer variety, new sex positions. While others offer new techniques; such as intimate massaging or pleasing your lover orally.”
