ICv2 Fall/Winter 2014 Hobby Game Rankings: D&D Up To #1

ICv2 has released its quarterly hobby game rankings. No surprises here - Dungeons & Dragons has taken the top spot back after several years at #2, as expected, though how long it can hold it without an aggressive release schedule remains to be seen. Pathfinder follows at #2, and Numenera, Fate, and Star Wars all make showings in the top 5. As always, the charts are based on interviews with retailers, distributors, and manufacturers. This is for Fall/Winter 2014.

1	Dungeons & Dragons	Wizards of the Coast
2	Pathfinder	Paizo Publishing
3	Star Wars	Fantasy Flight Games
4	Numenara	Monte Cook Games
5	Fate	Evil Hat Games

You can see the list on iCv2. And check out the historical compilation here.

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[delericho]

This is what I thought too, but I read they release 3 a year now. This was the winter/fall "quarter". Maybe I'm mistaken.

Ah, I see. In that case, I don't know.

 

[marroon69]

Whoohoo Numenera is on the list!!! Yes D&D and Pathfinder wrestle for the top stop (both great games by the way) but it is good to see Monte cook and the game make the list. With top quality books and art, and an easy to use system I am glad to see it made the list.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

It might make me a bad person, but I can't help thinking, "Wow!!! What an ENORMOUS shocker!!! </sarcasm>" New editions always drum up sales, and this one had two and a half years of discussion (most of which had an open 'playtest') to get people hyped about it. If D&D hadn't risen to the top, then maybe we'd have some real information to learn here--but it did, so we don't.

Plus, as always, the ICv2 numbers are hardly useful statistics, since they ignore everything outside the narrow (but important, no question) domain of physical game stores that report to ICv2. I doubt there are many people left who don't know all the faults in taking ICv2 data as gospel. It's a moderately interesting talking point, but a barometer of actual game stuff it ain't.

Especially since D&D's fall coincided with a sluggish and then zero release schedule, and now the new edition is explicitly going to move at a snail's pace compared to both previous WotC editions. I really wonder how critics-come-fans-of-5e will take it when Pathfinder rises to the top again.

Edit: That said, it is cool to see sustained interest in other games. It'd be even better if we could see ANY kind of numbers beyond "first-rank, second-rank, third-rank" etc. but that'll never happen.

 

[Morrus]

It might make me a bad person, but I can't help thinking, "Wow!!! What an ENORMOUS shocker!!! </sarcasm>"

We all said that, but without the caps or sarcasm. The phrase "as expected" has been bandied about in this thread.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

We all said that, but without the caps or sarcasm. The phrase "as expected" has been bandied about in this thread.

I guess I just don't see the point of making a thread about "business as usual, everything is what you expect it to be, no new information has been acquired."

 

[Morrus]

I guess I just don't see the point of making a thread about "business as usual, everything is what you expect it to be, no new information has been acquired."

If the thread doesn't interest you personally, there are thousands of other threads here which might!

 

[Doctor Futurity]

It will be really interesting if D&D retains the next quarter in the top spot, because it will mean D&D core book sales still outperformed over Pathfinder's usual aggressive release schedule.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

As a World of Darkness fan, I think these numbers are incomplete as they don't factor in the work that Onyx Path is doing.

Onyx Path isn't in the retail market anymore, which is what this is about. You can get a sense of their positioning in sales by monitoring the "top 100" lists over at rpgnow/drivethrurpg I imagine.

 

[Bluenose]

Onyx Path isn't in the retail market anymore, which is what this is about. You can get a sense of their positioning in sales by monitoring the "top 100" lists over at rpgnow/drivethrurpg I imagine.

Or by looking at how well their kickstarters are doing and/or have done. Usually rather well.

 

[Jester David]

I guess I just don't see the point of making a thread about "business as usual, everything is what you expect it to be, no new information has been acquired."

It may not be a surprise but it's still news. It's a confirmation of what we expected rather than a huge reversal.
And there's still the good-for-Paizo news that Pathfinder didn't drop to #3.