Latest ICv2 Stats Sees Free League's 'Alien' RPG Sneak Into Top 5!

ICv2's top hobby channel roleplaying games chart is in (this reflects Fall 2019). The top spots are the same as usual, while the bottom as always features the flavor of the day -- in this case, it's Free League's awesome Alien RPG, knocking Vampire 5E off the list.

I'm not totally clear on the dates covered here, as Alien didn't come out until December or so. It had a pre-launch at Dragonmeet in London, followed up by a full launch a week or two later.

They also report that 2019 was the 11th consecutive year of hobby game growth, up 5% from 2018.

The chart is as follows:

1. Dungeons & Dragons (WotC)
2. Pathfinder (Paizo)
3. Shadowrun 6E (Catalyst Game Labs)
4. Star Wars (FFG)
5. Alien (Free League)

Free League, of course, also announced they'd picked up the Middle Earth license today.

See the top charts going back to 2004 here.

 

[Morrus]

Maybe. My understanding is that Asmodee are a distribution company though - do they have staff to write more books?

They own FFG, and a bunch of other companies. FFG still produces a massive amount of miniatures game stuff for Star Wars. That license isn't going anywhere. The RPG might just end up being a casualty of that, unless they negotiated a separate license for that.

 

[TrippyHippy]

They own FFG, and a bunch of other companies. FFG still produces a massive amount of miniatures game stuff for Star Wars. That license isn't going anywhere. The RPG might just end up being a casualty of that, unless they negotiated a separate license for that.

Well, yes, I assumed that the miniature line is really what FFG is now interested in maintaining - but my interest is just what is happening to the RPG. If they stall the RPG line, then I guess that is the end of that.

 

[Morrus]

Well, yes, I assumed that the miniature line is really what FFG is now interested in maintaining - but my interest is just what is happening to the RPG. If they stall the RPG line, then I guess that is the end of that.

All that said, the rumor might be that they're ceasing RPG development, but they did just announce some new L5R RPG books. So I don't know how clear cut that is.

 

[TrippyHippy]

All that said, the rumor might be that they're ceasing RPG development, but they did just announce some new L5R RPG books. So I don't know how clear cut that is.

Well, I’ll keep watching the space with interest.

 

[Reynard]

I am hoping that the High Republic initiative includes an new RPG. I don't know who would be best to make it, but one could do worse than Modiphius or WotC.

 

[Eminence_Grise]

I don't understand how Shadowrun succeeded in building such a following.

 

[atanakar]

All that said, the rumor might be that they're ceasing RPG development, but they did just announce some new L5R RPG books. So I don't know how clear cut that is.

The new Genesys and L5R books coming out soon were already finished when the announcement was made. No really new books are planned.

 

[PMárk]

I don't understand how Shadowrun succeeded in building such a following.

Maybe the setting is tons of fun and the new edition is indeed easier to pick up and start playing than the earlier one? I'm not a big fan of the new rules, but it is what it is. I'm not the biggest fan of D&D 5e either, but it works for a lot of people.

Also, the visuals of the book, especially the cover vibes well with the synthwave comeback.

 

[Stacie GmrGrl]

Maybe the new rules for Shadowrun are doing better than many of us thought they would. It must be doing something right.

 

[atanakar]

Never managed to play a game of Shadowrun. I keep hearing about it, seeing it on the shelves but no one I know plays it.