Sophisticated Games
Sophisticated Games is a UK-based developer of board games best known for its series of Lord of the Rings games which are based directly on J. R. R. Tolkien's books. The company started up in 1998 in Cambridge, UK and is run by ex book publisher Robert Hyde in partnership with Ken Howard and Sophia Hyde.
It is also the originator of the abstract game by Reiner Knizia Ingenious, known as Einfach Genial in Germany. This was the game that was runner up in the 2004 Spiel des Jahres and much encouraged the subsequent trend towards abstract games in Germany. It was recently published as an IOS and Android app.
Recent publications include The Hobbit board and card games and a new game in the Horrible Histories series called The Awful Egyptians. 2013 will also see the publication of a board game based on Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy.