Fantasy Flight Games Discontinuing RPGs?

Back in January, it emerged that FFG was laying off a lot of staff, including RPG staff. Now, GM Chris over at d20 Radio is reporting that the company is discontinuing all RPG development, including Star Wars, Legend of the Five Rings, and its relatively newer Genesys universal system.

He says that all currently announced products will be produced, but in the long-term the RPG production is ending. There's some speculation regarding sales of companies to each other (FFG's owner is Asmodee, which is owned by PAI Partners who bought it from Eurazeo), but it's only conjecture. More info at the link below!

Fantasy Flight Games Long Term Plan will Discontinue RPG Development - d20 Radio

This article is a follow-up to a prior article published on January 8, 2020. We at d20Radio are sad to announce that we have independently confirmed [...]

www.d20radio.com

FFG's Katrina Ostrander appears to have confirmed the news:


Back in January, FFG laid off over 14 staff, and shut down Fantasy Flight Interactive. Reports were that the tabletop RPG department had been "shuttered" -- reduced to a couple of full timers. It sounds now like the cut is more severe even than that.

 

[Bravesteel25]

Last I heard on the SW license - and this was years ago - was that it was in the region of a $100K advance on royalties. That was all through the rumour-milll though. If that's the case, not many RPG companies could do it -- who's had a big Kickstarter in the last couple of years? Or, if all else is lost, Modiphius only has 7,942,274 licenses right now!

It would certainly be a shame to have an era with no Star Wars RPG.

 

[eyeheartawk]

But if someone does pick it up, it will probably be, yet again, another new rule system. All because some equity capital investment company could strip it (or more accurately Asmodee) in an effort to boost its apparent value and eventually sell it off for a profit. Hey, no matter that people lost their jobs - some investor has money to make based on the value those unemployed people built up.

I imagine the rights would revert to the rights holder. I doubt FFG can "sub-license" Star Wars.

If you're talking about the Genesys game system more broadly, I don't know how much interest there is to license that in the greater RPG market. My guess is it would be marginal.

 

[Undrave]

I don't expect the Star Wars license to remain fallow for long, even though I hear it's very expensive and a huge pain with approvals etc.

I bet it's worse with Disney... they've been so utterly devoid of imagination and are so risk averse the resulting game would be super boring and limited. Probably kept in a precise period of the canon...

 

[Bravesteel25]

I bet it's worse with Disney... they've been so utterly devoid of imagination and are so risk averse the resulting game would be super boring and limited. Probably kept in a precise period of the canon...

Good. Release your anger.

 

[Morrus]

I imagine the rights would revert to the rights holder. I doubt FFG can "sub-license" Star Wars.

Technically speaking, FFG will continue to have a license to produce SW games until their license expires, even if they're not using it. That said, when they first got it, there was a clause in it that they they had to produce stuff within timeframes (which is why their first product, after a year of getting the license, was just a card accessory, as the actual RPG was longer in development). So perhaps the license will self-immolate after a year of no product.

 

[Marc Radle]

It would be interesting to see if Paizo might try for the Star Wars licence. The owners are HUGE Star Wars fans and actually tried for it years ago. Heck, they could move it over to the Star Finder rules set ...

 

[Morrus]

It would be interesting to see if Paizo might try for the Star Wars licence. The owners are HUGE Star Wars fans and actually tried for it years ago. Heck, they could move it over to the Star Finder rules set ...

Ooooh! Now that idea excites me!

PAIZO DO IT!

 

[Bravesteel25]

Technically speaking, FFG will continue to have a license to produce SW games until their license expires, even if they're not using it. That said, when they first got it, there was a clause in it that they they had to produce stuff within timeframes (which is why their first product, after a year of getting the license, was just a card accessory, as the actual RPG was longer in development). So perhaps the license will self-immolate after a year of no product.

Maybe, but X-Wing is still selling well, so I doubt it would come down to losing the contract over no Star Wars products being produced.

 

[eyeheartawk]

I bet it's worse with Disney... they've been so utterly devoid of imagination and are so risk averse the resulting game would be super boring and limited. Probably kept in a precise period of the canon...

The license definitely would come with pre-set limits as to what time frames etc it could cover. The days of wide open West End Games style Star Wars RPG production, where they were able to invent tons of lore, are far behind us.

 

[Morrus]

Maybe, but X-Wing is still selling well, so I doubt it would come down to losing the contract over no Star Wars products being produced.

I guess it depends how the license is written. If it's an overall license for tabletop games, then FFG will still have it. Could mean nobody can product Star Wars RPGs but then, who are choosing not to. That would suck.