FFG to publish Warhammer and Dark Heresy RPGs

[Steel_Wind]

Damn...ffg is a badly run company.

This assessment shows staggeringly poor insight.

FFG has reacted to changing tastes and trends in the hobby games market better than any single other company in the hobby games market. Period.

FFG curtailed their efforts in an anemic 3rd party RPG market and put their eggs into making the best boardgames available in the marketplace. They retained product lines in CCGs, RPGs and miniatures. They recognized longterm value in IP and put things on the backburner that deserved to be put on to the back burner.

Their web marketing for their new AAA monster boardgames has been better than any other company in the world.

They have repackaged other games from around the globe and improved upon the viability and sales of every game they have touched.

FFG is not merely a company - they have become a BRAND; the BioWare of the Ameritrash hobby games market.

Badly run? Christian Petersen deserves a standing ovation.

 

[thalmin]

I've never heard FFG's quality being a problem. Production timeliness and reprint schedules have been issues, but not the quality.

 

[Henry]

They retained product lines in CCGs, RPGs and miniatures. They recognized longterm value in IP and put things on the backburner that deserved to be put on to the back burner.

Their web marketing for their new AAA monster boardgames has been better than any other company in the world.

They have repackaged other games from around the globe and improved upon the viability and sales of every game they have touched.

This could be the reasons why their offer was accepted so quickly; they might have the obvious cashflow and multi-brand marketing success to make a really good turn of it, since GR would have likely had to pair with another company to give it the same kind of attention, by Chris' blog entry.

 

[Olive]

Yeah, I'm sure the complete package of board games etc really appealed. As a gamer, I wish it had gone to GR, but that's not why GW would have made their decision.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

This assessment shows staggeringly poor insight.

I concur. For a company in the hobby games industry to make money, and grow, is a sign of brilliance. Here is a recent profile on FFG's CEO and founder.

 

[Jack of Shadows]

My two cents,

I think whoever negotiated this deal deserves a raise. Given that they also distribute all of Rackham's games and miniatures that they could get a hold of GW's brands is just amazing. I mean these guys are major competitors.

When Black Industries announced they were pulling the plug on their RPG's three days after Dark Heresy COMPLETELY sold out I knew something was in the works. I suspected a new division at GW would be announced but licensing to a third party makes even more sense. As much as Green Ronin would have been the obvious choice I suspect given the state of their finances paying for such a license would just be too much to handle. On that note, however, I suspect you'll see a number of GR folks showing up in the credits of further Dark Heresy products.

I don't know the folks at FFG, I've never met them. I do own a number of their games and I have to say they are always top notch. So from a business standpoint these guys are sharp and I have to give them a lot of credit for surviving in an industry that has a pretty high kill ratio.

Jack

 

[pogre]

Damn...ffg is a badly run company, and the RPGs they produce are just dropped when they believe they've squeezed as much as possible out of them.

That is very good business practice.


I'm sorry GR did not get more of a shot at this. I have to believe FFG's market penetration was a big part of the reason why. They also had a track record with the board games like Warrior Knights.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Yeah, it makes sense to me. I can understand some frustration or disappointment in various quarters, but in the end, it looks like a sound decision.

Basically, why not have a company who's already solidly set up to do the whole range, do that? Keeps it simple, I imagine.

It'll be interesting to see where FFG takes it. Well, both branches, actually.

 

[D.Shaffer]

Eh, the RPG's and Board games arent that big of a deal for me.

On the other hand, I AM a big player of UFS. Considering that I've not really been all that impressed with how FFG does with its other CCG's, how I end up feeling depends entirely on how much of Sabertooth's design and customer service staff ends up migrating over.

 

[DragonLancer]

I'm pleased to see that we're going to keep getting the game.