Azul’s 200% bigger Giant edition is so massive it comes in a suitcase, but with a giant price tag attached

Michael Kiesling’s critically lauded tile-laying hit Azul – a game themed around laying tiles, no less – is getting a supersized version so enormous you could probably tile your floor for real with it.

Okay, maybe that’s a tad of an over-exaggeration, but Azul Giant really does live up to its name, enlarging the game’s components by a whopping 200% – making it three times larger than the original.

Obviously there’s no way those bits and pieces could fit in a normal box, so the Giant edition even comes in a fancy handled suitcase to make lugging it around a bit more convenient. The suitcase has been custom-made to store the game, with removable tray inserts and an expanded pattern based on the original box art.

To make the player boards fit with the premium contents, the card discs have been replaced by neoprene mats with higher-quality colour printing than before.

Azul studio Next Move Games, which debuted with the similarly acclaimed Century: Spice Road last year, said that the Giant edition was announced as a celebration of Azul’s nomination for this year’s Spiel des Jahres. The game has already scooped up the As d’Or prize for Game of the Year, with further nods at the Origin Awards.

The downside of the inflated version is that it comes with a similarly swollen price tag: $300 (£225).

Next Move has opened pre-orders for Azul Giant, saying that it will only be made if it racks up 500 orders before June 22nd. If the game makes it into production, it’ll take up to six months to arrive – otherwise, the whole idea will be cancelled. Before you ask, only buy one copy per person can be bought via Next Move’s online store, which is the only place to find it.