Diamond Comic Distributors Files Bankruptcy, Sells Alliance Game Distributors

The parent company of one of the key tabletop industry gatekeepers has filed for bankruptcy. Alliance Game Distributors is set to be acquired by Universal Distribution.

According to the filings the company owes money to various tabletop industry creditors (thanks to @Abstruse for the list):

• Wizards of the Coast: $914,602
• Hasbro (separately): $1,064,378
• Catalyst Game Labs (BattleTech, Shadowrun, Voltron): $401,483
• Army Painter Ap5 (miniature paint manufacturer): $316,296
• Publisher Services, Inc (board game and TTRPG distributor): $223,141

Also, NECA is owed $2,682,994. This is mostly from collectibles, but NECA also owns WizKids and Alliance handled distribution for HeroClix and their various D&D/Pathfinder miniature lines.

You can see a more complete list of all of the companies owed money over at comicsbeat.com.

 

[Jd Smith1]

I should have been more accurate. He actually said thousands of books. Could it be 10K? 15K? more? I have no idea how many titles he has had printed or how large his print runs are for each title.

I wasn't intending to call you out, just being a bit pedantic.

 

[GothmogIV]

Out of curiosity, do you still feel that way after the whole "back in bed with Judges' Guild for City-State" thing?

I think they made a stupid error, but what can you do? I like their games, and I will continue to buy them. I did not buy this particular thing (the City State book). I find that, in life, most people are not all of one thing or another. People are a mix of things, and I am not willing to be the purity judge. One man's opinion. What about you?

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I think they made a stupid error, but what can you do? I like their games, and I will continue to buy them. I did not buy this particular thing (the City State book). I find that, in life, most people are not all of one thing or another. People are a mix of things, and I am not willing to be the purity judge. One man's opinion. What about you?

As I said when that mess started, I've never bought anything from Goodman and don't intend to. I intensely disliked DCC when a friend convinced me to try it, and nothing I've seen since has increased my interest in their products. Dying Earth particularly annoyed me, since I regard Pelgrane's game as a perfect fit for Vance and Goodman's as wretched.

The fact that they made a promise to steer clear of JG and went back on it just makes it easier to continue to avoid doing business with them, but that's a general "don't reward oathbreakers" thing for me.

Obviously YMMV - will vary, even. People who love their stuff are entitled to do so, and are rewarded by having more options to consider spending on.