By David Du, CEO of Eastar Board Game

When I reflect upon my experience in the board game industry, there is only one thing that I have always believed in: great ideas should be well implemented.

The designers of games only want to put their hearts into creating shared experiences. As a developer and at Eastar, my job is to get as many of those ideas to players in the form they were intended, with care, quality, and respect for the idea of the originator.

How I Found My Way into Games

I did not enter this sector as a beginner. Early at Eastar, my job is to get as many of those ideas to players in their intended form, with care, quality, and respect. Ten years ago, I noticed another restriction- the board game renaissance. There were thousands of creative minds out there designing games, highly thematic games, beautifully crafted games, and yet they lacked a reliable source of a high-quality manufacturing partner to bring an idea to reality.

And this is when it hit me: this is where Eastar would have an opportunity to do something. We were in a position to do so, and more to the point, we were passionate about joining hands with creators. We made our company a specialized board game production partner to publishers, designers, and IP holders worldwide.

What We’ve Built at Eastar

Eastar today focuses on family games, party games, kid games, collectible card games (TCGs), and tabletop games. However, we do not feel like we are a printer or a factory. We consider ourselves a part of our creative team of the clients.

Whether in component engineering or high-end miniatures, our undertakings are all on sustainable materials and striking packaging endeavors to give every project a personal touch by way of custom OEM services. What are we proudest of? It is becoming the silent giant behind all those games that are hugely adored worldwide.

What Keeps Me Inspired

Innovation and teamwork. The enthusiasm that game designers have and the confidence to risk and offer new ideas is what drives me to work. When an inventor shows me a prototype and I see excitement in his/her eyes, then I know that energy. It inspires me, on the one hand, to make Eastar more ambitious, to be more than a manufacturer.

What Excites Me?

The ability to observe the idea walk through various stages to become a real form in the hands of a gamer. And the industry trends that I look forward to the most? The new range of hybrid gameplay, based on combining digital and physical experiences, and the need to produce things in an environmentally conscious way, presents us with the challenge of innovation.

Life Lessons and Mantras

Often, people ask me how I survive under the pressures of having a manufacturing company that is competing in the global market. It is the balance and perspective.

My mantra? Don't be so sure that you think you are right. In business, when you feel that you have understood everything in the field, that is when your company will have stopped developing.

I also enjoy board games and occasionally play computer games, along with my love for strategy games, crabbing, and hiking with friends after work. These experiences remind me why our industry matters: games are not just commodities, but meaningful experiences that connect people, spark creativity, and bring joy.

My word of advice to all young people who aspire to work in this industry is to wait and take time with relationships. It does not matter whether you are a designer, publisher, or manufacturer; your survival depends on the partnerships you make.

Why POP 2025 Matters to Me

It gives Eastar honor to be a Gold Sponsor at the Inventor Pitch and Innovation Conference in POP Week this year. It means more to me than a sponsorship because it is bridging a gap with these smart people behind the invention and acquisition of products, and thus creating business partnerships that can forge the future of play.

I want artists to regard Eastar not only as a factory, but as a creative partner who can, in general, share and understand their vision, and also co-create it.

My Vision for Eastar

My aspiration is for Eastar to become the first choice of go‐to manufacturing partner for the global tabletop Industry. Not because we're the biggest, but because we’re the most trusted Rock Construction, best known for our craftsmanship, our reliability, & collaborative attitude.

Years from now, if our legacy is enabling thousands of creators to see their games brought from concept to completion and enjoyed on tables around the world, I would consider that a true accomplishment. Our mission is to bring dreams to life in the form of tangible, playable experiences.