The History of Risk

In 1957, a French filmmaker named Albert Lamorisse designed a board game called La Conquête du Monde (The Conquest of the World). It featured simple rules but complex interactions. In 1959, Parker Brothers purchased the rights and made a few small changes before publishing it as Risk in 1959. It became the first popular game that involved strategy, diplomacy, conflict, and conquest. Unlike most war games, Risk allowed more than 2 players to compete, which added to its appeal. In fact, Risk became the first mass-produced strategy game for multiple players to be enjoyed by multiple generations. It is also considered the forerunner of many other war and strategy games that followed, such as Axis and Allies and The Settlers of Catan. Today, Risk is still a massively popular game that now offers multiple variants related to historical periods and real-life battles. There are also versions that allow you to play in the fictional worlds of popular movie and video game franchises.