I think you have to be careful thinking about that - you're talking only about a single quarter - Q1 2010 there. That's not a long time.
If I recall correctly, White Wolf was in the same Top 5 for at least Q 2, 3, and 4 of 2009. Are they suddenly not "top tier" because for one quarter they've not been in that list? Even though they've been big in the market in general for many years?
You are correct. Though for what it's worth, they were in fifth place in the last quarter of 2009. The temporary sales bleep of
Dragon Age pushed them out. They probably will slip back in. As licensed properties tend to be temporary, they probably will slip back in.
I don't think that changes the fact that WWP is not doing as well in the marketplace right now as it once used to. Circa 2000, White Wolf was the second biggest kid on the block. It's pretty clear that they aren't in that position any longer
I think Paizo has firmly taken over the second biggest bully on the block position.... for now
If WWP (or anybody else, for that matter) came out with a
Twilight licensed RPG? All bets are off. I'd like to see the effect of that license in the marketplace (and on Femme player recruiting).
Similarly, one would expect that a
Harry Potter licensed RPG would have an enormous effect upon any publisher's sales.
Actually, I think a
Harry Potter Wizarding World RPG, if done very well, might alter the entire marketplace in a way that could displace D&D in the short to medium term. Moreover, a game like that could dramtically effect player acquisition for all RPGs, too.
Up until now, JK Rowling has been reportedly very hostile to the idea of a
Harry Potter RPG. She sees anybody putting out details on how magic works and what Hogwarts looks like, statting up her characters and so forth as amounting to licensing fan fiction and restricting her creative space. She is very hostile to the idea, if reports I've read are accurate.
And seeing as she doesn't need the money, she finds it very easy to say "no".
But an HP MMO might change her view on that -- and there are rumours of Warner Bros. creating such a beast.
I suppose in a few more years, she might relent. Mind you, as time marches on, the ability of a
Harry Potter license to upset all RPG apple carts certainly diminishes with time, too.