Settlers of Catan creator Klaus Teuber dies

On Saturday, Klaus Teuber — creator of the game Settlers of Catan — died on April 1 due to illness. The Associated Press reported Teuber died at the age of 70.

Teuber’s game is a beloved classic. Now the game is known simply as Catan, but it was first released in 1995 as Settlers of Catan. It’s a board game where each player has to build settlements, use resources and develop land.

Called “the board game of our lifetime” by The Washington Post, the game became an American classic in a similar way to Monopoly. It’s available at many retailers and boomed in sales during the pandemic, but Teuber was genuinely surprised by the game’s success.

He invented the game while he was a dentist, per The Associated Press. After a few years of the game’s skyrocketing success, he was able to leave his job and feed his family from its proceeds. The Catan social media team said, “While Klaus’ contributions to the board gaming industry are immeasurable, we will remember him most as a kind and selfless human being, an inspirational leader, and most importantly, as a friend.”

Among those who love Catan are Utahns.

In fact, the Beehive State’s most popular game is Catan, according to KSL TV 5. Catan caught hold among some Latter-day Saints who made a spinoff called “The Settlers of Zarahemla.” It’s a licensed adaptation of the game with only a couple tweaks such as including names from the Book of Mormon.

It isn’t the only spinoff of the game. With dozens of spinoffs, numerous editions and a net worth of over $1 billion per Axios, the zeitgeist around Catan is one for the ages.