Hobby Game Market Strong, RPGs Deeply Troubled

[Dannyalcatraz]

Eh- My instincts tell me Hasbro is more concerned about what they can tie into the D&D name than D&D itself.

There are movies (as well as cartoons or other TV shows), merchandising, and other derivative products. Don't forget D&D themed board and computer games.

I would be surprised if they haven't floated the idea of an dedicated D&D CCG based on the M:tG ruleset & mechanics.

 

[Xyxox]

Plus this doesn't take into account the DDI subscriptions which may be raking in a good deal of dough for WoTC.

I think that the fact that the gap between D&D and the others growing is a definite sign of the success of DDI.

 

[Intrope]

Plus this doesn't take into account the DDI subscriptions which may be raking in a good deal of dough for WoTC.

And the way it's worded suggests D&D is not down; 'most brands down' and 'gap between Dungeons and Dragons and the rest growing' suggests that the rest of the field is sinking away from D&D, not that D&D is sinking. That'd probably be newsworthy enough for them to mention, at least.

Anyway, it's somewhat depressing but not really unexpected given the economic stuff.

 

[Mark]

I'm not sure what the evidence is that leads to some of the suggested conclusions. I wish that were shared. I am sure that I'd like to see the data from just prior to June 2008 and each quarter since, as well as the data in three months, six months, etc, to see what impact PF has on the market. Further, comparing it in the future to data that comes after the economy gets out of this hole (and I mean once unemployment sinks back below 7% or so) would be interesting, too.

 

[Mistwell]

I'm not sure what the evidence is that leads to some of the suggested conclusions. I wish that were shared. I am sure that I'd like to see the data from just prior to June 2008 and each quarter since, as well as the data in three months, six months, etc, to see what impact PF has on the market. Further, comparing it in the future to data that comes after the economy gets out of this hole (and I mean once unemployment sinks back below 7% or so) would be interesting, too.

Agreed. I'd like to see the raw data as well.

 

[nedjer]

Agreed. I'd like to see the raw data as well.

About the surest raw data you can get is at Alexa the Web Information Company The big RPG publishers are there. You can't see sales but can see how much interest they're getting at their web sites. Factor in major release dates and it's a pretty good guide to interest in rpgs.

 

[Mistwell]

About the surest raw data you can get is at Alexa the Web Information Company The big RPG publishers are there. You can't see sales but can see how much interest they're getting at their web sites. Factor in major release dates and it's a pretty good guide to interest in rpgs.

Not really. ICv2 is getting data direct from distributors and retailers. Alexa gets hits only from people who have installed Alexa in their browsers, and only for people going to those websites. That's not a measure of the popularity or sales of a print product, but of their websites.

 

[Maggan]

Here's the Q1 numbers, for comparison.

ICv2 - Top Winter ‘08-‘09 RPGs

/M

 

[Shemeska]

Outside of WotC selling more than anyone else in relative terms, there's nothing I can really draw from this because it purely addresses RPG sales in the Hobby channel, not online sales direct from the publisher (Paizo.com, Catalyst's online store, Whitewolf, etc), nor does it seem to take into account Amazon.com or other major online retailers.

For instance, I've got a nearly complete collection of nWoD books, but I didn't buy a single one from a hobby store (90% on Amazon, 5% on Ebay, 5% or so at GenCon). That's no small amount of cash, but it wouldn't register as so much as a single data blip on that chart above.

Too limited in scope in terms of data sourcing for the marketplace, and only one quarter, so I couldn't draw anything, good or bad about any company from that list.

 

[Umbran]

Eh- My instincts tell me Hasbro is more concerned about what they can tie into the D&D name than D&D itself.

There are movies (as well as cartoons or other TV shows), merchandising, and other derivative products. Don't forget D&D themed board and computer games.

Given that Hasbro's owned WotC for a decade now, and hasn't done a whole lot of that tying in, I'm not sure where you get the idea that they're interested in it.