Priorities The Game: Interview with Clarendon Games CEO Will Sorrell
“Priorities” is a new release by Clarendon Games that tasks players with ranking five random, everyday items in order from most loved to most loathed. Then, other plays must guess your ranking and — if they are right — collect your cards. The game also features a race component with players attempting to spell out the word “Priorities” with the letters on the back of the cards. Intended for ages 8 and older, the game retails for $19.99.
“Priorities” is a game that is perfectly inline with the mission of Clarendon Games, a company founded by Will Sorrell who now serves as its CEO. Will grew up in London, England, and was determined to create games that are easy to learn, quick to play, and a lot of fun. After earning a Master’s Degree at Edinburgh University, Will first got a job in book publishing and then moved on to a career at a high-end skincare brand. He started Clarendon Games in his own time using money from his savings to create his first prototype. In 2016, Will quit his day job to helm Clarendon Games full time. To date, the company has launched 24 board and card games — many of which have won awards — and sold over 600,000 copies worldwide. The games are now sold in major US retailers including Target, Barnes & Noble and Kohl’s and they can also be found in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Recently Will Sorrell discussed the game, his company, and more via an exclusive interview.
Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you get interested in creating toys and games and why did you decide to focus on quick and funny games?
Will Sorrell (WS): Back in 2012 I was working in product development at a skincare company in London. I’d been working for consumer goods companies my whole career up until that point. I felt I had enough experience to set up my own business, but I had to find a product to make and sell. I grew up playing board games and have always loved them. I understood that board games bring people together and make them laugh. I founded Clarendon Games in 2012 as I was confident that people would still be interested in board games even in the age of the internet, computer games and game apps.
I like quick and funny games because they’re such fun and a bit of escapism, since they transport you away from everyday life. The kind of games I like to create are fun, accessible for all ages and make you laugh out loud. I like games that are easy to learn, don’t take too long to play and are hassle-free. All of our games are fast-paced, easily transported and beautifully packaged, so are perfect as gifts or to bring to a party.
People are tired of being stuck in front of a computer all day, and it can be quite a solitary experience and tech can be addictive in an unhealthy way. Board games are a great antidote to that. It’s great to play a board game and interact directly with people, away from a computer or Smartphone screen, and have a real experience rather than a virtual one.
MM: How daunting was it to start your own company and keep it afloat, even during a pandemic?
WS: It was daunting but the reality was I had no idea how difficult starting the company would be. What I soon learned was that everything takes three times longer and is three times more expensive than you think it’s going to be. Even though it has been tough and there have been ups and downs, I enjoy every day and get out of bed with a spring in my step. Lockdown brought significant challenges in all areas of the business including in production, supply chain, sales, new product development, and lots of uncertainty. Luckily, we had stock in the country, and people could still buy our games online and play at home. A lot of our games don’t have too many components and are hassle-free to play so you could play them over Zoom.
MM: How did you come up with the name Clarendon Games?
WS: There’s no real reason other than there’s a Clarendon Road near where I was living in London, England, when I founded the company. To be honest, when I first set the company up, it was just me and I wanted a name that made the company sound bigger than it actually was and as if it had been around for longer than it actually had. I thought Clarendon Games achieved this!
MM: You’ve produced over 20 games so far, so which are your favorites and why?
WS: Priorities is a co-operative party game of absurd choices. You have to rank five random items from love to loathe. For example, Friendship, Taylor Swift, climate change, being right, and kittens. Can your friends work together to predict your ranking? Any correctly predicted item cards will be won by the players but get the ranking wrong and the game will steal them. It’s a race to see which team, the players or the game, can spell out Priorities with the letters on the back of the cards first! It’s quick to play and easy to learn, and it’s a really fun way to see how well you know your friends and family.
Imposter! is a really fun conversation-based whodunit game in which players play the role of guests spending the weekend at the Earl of Gameston’s castle. The Innocents have to identify the Imposters before the Imposters can steal all the treasure. The mystery unfolds as the game progresses, and it makes for hilarious bluffing and debates.
The Mole is a hilarious conversation-based, secret-identity game. One player is the Mole and the other players are spies. With careful questions and answers, the spies have to try to identify the mole before the mole can guess the secret location.
MM: How did you come up with the idea for “Priorities”?
WS: The initial idea was that I wanted to make a game about modern life. Priorities started off as a word game but the original concept changed a lot as the prototype went through a lot of play testing and iterations. The game eventually turned into a more light-hearted conversation-based game which was even more fun than the original idea.
MM: What is your favorite card in “Priorities” and why?
WS: Cards such as Amazon Alexa, reclining your seat on a plane, and Hawaiian pizza are my favorite because they are everyday but trigger a wide range of strong opinions.
MM: Do you create all of the games in your line or do you work with independent designers?
WS: I designed all of the games in the range from our earliest ones such as Poppycock! and Wordsmithery up to our recent ones such as The Mole, Priorities, and Bragging Rights. However, this year is the first time that we’ve worked with independent designers for three new titles: Movie Madness, Hire Me! and Roarrr! It’s been a great experience working with other creative’s to source these brilliant new games. As more of my time is being taken up by the publishing side of the company, I’ve really appreciated sharing the workload.
MM: What feedback about your games has been the most memorable?
WS: We love it when people contact us to let us know how much fun they’ve had playing our games. Some customers contacted us recently to say they brought a copy of Priorities to a friend’s party and everyone there enjoyed playing so much that they all went home to buy their own copy of the game. Last year a young man contacted us to describe how he proposed to his girlfriend. They enjoyed playing Priorities so much that he slipped the engagement ring in the game box just before they were about to play. She opened the box and found the ring there before he proposed. She said yes!
MM: To date, what has been the highlight of your career in the toy industry?
WS: On 1st August 2023 Priorities launched in all Target stores where the game’s been selling really well. Available at Target here and here is a Video explaining the Game Play.
MM: How do you hope Clarendon Games continues to evolve from here?
WS: We would like to continue getting the word out there about our games and bringing out new games to add to the 24 we have in the range. We’ve really enjoyed working with independent designers and would like to develop this side of the business. We want to use social media more to post videos of our games as it’s such a great way to teach people the rules of our games and introduce our games to a new audience.
MM: What are your ultimate goals for the future and is there anything else that you would like to mention?
WS: We think the board game industry will continue to grow. As more of our lives are being led online and we become more dependent on technology, I feel the desire to take a break from screens and the online world to spend time directly with other people will increase. This Fall, as well as the independent designers’ games, we’re also launching a new story-telling game called Instant Karma. Priorities and Imposter are available in all Barnes & Noble stores, and in the Spring, new games Classified, I’m Getting Too Old For This Sh*t, and Bragging Rights will launch in the retailer.
* * * * *
To learn more, visit the official website of Clarendon Games.
