Who's the Biggest RPG Company?

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I wonder where FanPro stands here. It's pretty big in Germany with Das Schwarz Auge, and it also has Battletech and Shadowrun.

 

[jdrakeh]

I thought I heard that Mongoose is #3.

That may have been true at one time, though they've recently shut down their in-house printing operation and not too long ago, laid off several employees (IIRC).

 

[Intrope]

I've heard that Palladium is in the top 5, too.

 

[MKMcArtor]

I mean, besides Wizards of the Coast, does anyone know who the biggest tabletop RPG company out there is? I'd be interested in what people think/know in terms of both body counts and profitability.

The last we heard, it was WotC, WW, Paizo. I think that was in terms of revenue. Or maybe it was from a distributor or something. Anyway, it's probably also an accurate guess at staff size as well.

 

[arscott]

That'd probably be a good guess, though GURPS seems to be a minority of SJG's sales over the past few years (they've been putting most of their resources behind Munchkin, which continues to sell like hotcakes for them).

Then again, WotC has magic, which I am told is a bigger seller than D&D.

 

[kenobi65]

Then again, WotC has magic, which I am told is a bigger seller than D&D.

Indeed...everything I've ever read says that the CCG division at WotC dwarfs the RPG division.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

That may have been true at one time, though they've recently shut down their in-house printing operation and not too long ago, laid off several employees (IIRC).

Interesting... I would have thought they were going great guns over there. Anyone know anything else about this?

 

[jdrakeh]

Interesting... I would have thought they were going great guns over there. Anyone know anything else about this?

Press Release 1, Press Release 2, and Press Release 3. Release 1 talks about the closure of the in-house printing, while the other two releases discuss the termination of multiple game lines (but not necessarily jobs).

 

[joela]

Paizo?

The last we heard, it was WotC, WW, Paizo.

Really? Beating even SJG or Mongoose?

 

[James Heard]

What about GW? Their roleplaying games are obviously a minor function of the company, but they're probably rolling in it compared to a lot of companies.