In 2016, Eric Chen was in a near-fatal car accident that left him bedridden for months.During that time, he made a decision that would change the course of his life.
“This was really the inspiration to live life to the fullest,” Chen said. “I decided to pursue what I wanted in life—to enjoy it and not forget to have fun. It’s all about creating memories and laughing.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020 and everyone was stuck at home, Chen found himself craving what he missed most: interacting, laughing, and bonding with friends and family,and, of course, boba. That spark led him to combine his experience in product development with his Taiwanese American heritage to create something entirely new: a board game themed around boba milk tea.
“With my cultural background of being Taiwanese American, this was a perfect blend of representation growing up,” Chen said. “Having this game has opened up conversations introducing more friends to learn about boba tea and having fun while doing it.”
MOCO Games’ flagship product is Sabobatage: The Boba Card Game, inspired by boba milk tea (also known as bubble tea). The family-friendly game is designed for ages 7 and up, making it an accessible entry point for game night. The company also offers an expansion pack, Legends of Matcha.
Chen credits Amazon Ads with helping MOCO Games connect with new customers.
“Our games provide just one moment for people to sit down, laugh, pause, and appreciate life,” he said.
Chen began selling in the Amazon store to reach customers beyond local board game tradeshows. Amazon’s logistics and fulfillment capabilities have been transformative for the small business.
“Amazon offers two-day shipping across the country, which helps streamline our operations and keeps our communitea happy,” Chen said. “We mainly use this as our fulfillment operations,so we don’t have to worry about carrying stock. I used to operate the business out of my garage, and my wife is happy we can finally park our cars inside.”
Through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), which allows independent sellers to have Amazon handle storage, picking, packing, fulfillment, and customer service for their orders, Chen no longer needs to manage inventory from home. He also credits Amazon Ads with helping MOCO Games connect with new customers.
“The advertising platform has been my favorite because we are getting new sales from key words we wouldn’t have known people were searching for,” Chen said.
Amazon has also supported MOCO Games through a specialized program designed to support startups, emerging brands, and small businesses in launching, marketing, and distributing their products to Amazon customers.
For Chen, building MOCO Games has always been about living out the lesson he learned in 2016 after his car accident.
“Creating games is a fun process with the team, and being able to have these moments, then having it represented in a final product…we hope it inspires others to do the same,” Chen said.