Startups
About the board game Taxi
The idea
On a quiet dark Tuesday February night in 1999, taxi driver Derek Carroll sat 12th on the rank reading one of his many books on Edinburgh history. With plenty of time to dream, Derek started thinking how it might be possible to create a trivia board game, where all the questions could be based on one City. The answer was obvious; create the game around the working life of a taxi driver. “The better your local knowledge, the better the tips, the more you earn”. Picking up an A4 sheet of paper, the journey began.
Development and research
Over the next 18 months, questions were researched and written, thousands of dice were thrown, sacrifices were made, proto-types were produced, contact was made with buyers, manufacturers of the game and playing pieces were sourced and press information was released.
The early years
Eventually, 2 months behind schedule, on the 5th of December 2000 the “Edinburgh Taxi Board Game” was launched. With a very limited marketing budget, Taxi! went on sale in just 7 stores, and with only 19 shopping days until Christmas, the pressure was on. Derek managed to secure a complete window display in Jenners Department Store in Edinburgh, he also received great support from both John Lewis and Debenhams. In all these stores Taxi out-sold Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit that Christmas.
Two years later and with the Glasgow edition now launched, Taxi was on sale in over 40 stores throughout Central Scotland, achieving significant retail sales. This could never have been achieved without the help and support given to Derek by the retail staff in all stores that stocked the Taxi Game.
The next stage
Piloting Taxi! in local areas enabled Derek to monitor the reaction from both store managers and customers alike. Based on these findings a new London edition was planned. During this time a number of companies showed a keen interest to be involved in developing future editions. When the global financial crisis started to bite in 2007, all these plans were put on hold.
With the board game market now buoyant, the decision has been taken to launch the new London edition. Following a meeting in London with experts from the retail and board game industry, it was decided to update the graphics on both the box and board; this was achieved in conjunction with Napier University Edinburgh and their graphic design department. Our grateful thanks go to all the students and staff who participated in this project.
The future
Now in 2015 with professional backers and the right team in-place in all departments, Taxi! is looking forward to becoming one of the world’s top selling board games. As well as the new London edition being available for sale in stores from April 2015, plans are now in place to launch at least 12 new editions in the near future.
The Taxi! Journey Continues, It’s Been Some Fare!
The idea
On a quiet dark Tuesday February night in 1999, taxi driver Derek Carroll sat 12th on the rank reading one of his many books on Edinburgh history. With plenty of time to dream, Derek started thinking how it might be possible to create a trivia board game, where all the questions could be based on one City. The answer was obvious; create the game around the working life of a taxi driver. “The better your local knowledge, the better the tips, the more you earn”. Picking up an A4 sheet of paper, the journey began.
Development and research
Over the next 18 months, questions were researched and written, thousands of dice were thrown, sacrifices were made, proto-types were produced, contact was made with buyers, manufacturers of the game and playing pieces were sourced and press information was released.
The early years
Eventually, 2 months behind schedule, on the 5th of December 2000 the “Edinburgh Taxi Board Game” was launched. With a very limited marketing budget, Taxi! went on sale in just 7 stores, and with only 19 shopping days until Christmas, the pressure was on. Derek managed to secure a complete window display in Jenners Department Store in Edinburgh, he also received great support from both John Lewis and Debenhams. In all these stores Taxi out-sold Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit that Christmas.
Two years later and with the Glasgow edition now launched, Taxi was on sale in over 40 stores throughout Central Scotland, achieving significant retail sales. This could never have been achieved without the help and support given to Derek by the retail staff in all stores that stocked the Taxi Game.
The next stage
Piloting Taxi! in local areas enabled Derek to monitor the reaction from both store managers and customers alike. Based on these findings a new London edition was planned. During this time a number of companies showed a keen interest to be involved in developing future editions. When the global financial crisis started to bite in 2007, all these plans were put on hold.
With the board game market now buoyant, the decision has been taken to launch the new London edition. Following a meeting in London with experts from the retail and board game industry, it was decided to update the graphics on both the box and board; this was achieved in conjunction with Napier University Edinburgh and their graphic design department. Our grateful thanks go to all the students and staff who participated in this project.
The future
Now in 2015 with professional backers and the right team in-place in all departments, Taxi! is looking forward to becoming one of the world’s top selling board games. As well as the new London edition being available for sale in stores from April 2015, plans are now in place to launch at least 12 new editions in the near future.
The Taxi! Journey Continues, It’s Been Some Fare!
Overview
Location
United Kingdom, Scotland, City of Edinburgh
Employees
1-10
Phone
632 835
Founded date
2015
FAQ about Taxi Game Ltd.
When was Taxi Game Ltd. founded?
Taxi Game Ltd. was founded in 2015.
Is Taxi Game Ltd. still active?
Yes, Taxi Game Ltd. is active.