If Wizards of the Coast went out of business
- Thread starter Sir Elton
- Start date
khyron1144
First Post
My question is how could WotC go out of business?
They're a division of the toy company that rules the universe.
They also have a license to print money with their collectible card games and collectible miniatures games, so even if D&D is tanking, there is nothing that could kill WotC.
I have dreams of winning the lottery and using the money to buy up Hasbro voting stock until my voice in the company is important enough for me to say:
How about making TSR a seperate company again with me as the CEO? You can keep the toys and CCGs, I just want someone to start making good RPGs again.
Of course, that's impossible, but I figure you gotta dream big.
They're a division of the toy company that rules the universe.
They also have a license to print money with their collectible card games and collectible miniatures games, so even if D&D is tanking, there is nothing that could kill WotC.
I have dreams of winning the lottery and using the money to buy up Hasbro voting stock until my voice in the company is important enough for me to say:
How about making TSR a seperate company again with me as the CEO? You can keep the toys and CCGs, I just want someone to start making good RPGs again.
Of course, that's impossible, but I figure you gotta dream big.
Jürgen Hubert
First Post
khyron1144 said:
One question: What makes you think you are qualified to run an RPG company that "makes good RPGs"?
Playing RPGs is a different skill set than writing RPG books... which in turn requires different skills than running an actual RPG company.
Nellisir
Hero
Jürgen Hubert said:
No reason was given in the original query for WotC going out of business, so I assumed it was not relevant. If D&D tanks so hard that WotC closes for good, there won't be much left of a professional tabletop RPG industry...and what is left would still be fighting over the scraps WotC left behind.
Imaro
Legend
Jürgen Hubert said:
I don't think this is entirely accurate, it's like saying if McDonalds went out of business then all fast food chains are doomed.(In no way am I correlating quality between D&D and McDonalds here only the fact that they both dominate their industry.). In business anytime a void opens up, if there is demand it will be repaced by something else. I honestly think those who played D&D will either switch to new systems and new games, or play older editions of the game(kinda seems like the industry now whenever D&D brings out a new edition.). I also think D&D dissapearing would get more gamer's to actually look at things other than d20 that they might like.
I personally think if this we're to happen then White Wolf would probably be the next "big dawg" of the industry. Anywhere I've seen D&D products, I've also seen White Wolf, and with Exalted they have actually takenk their first foray into the fantasy market with(from what I hear pretty good results).
Gamer's are adaptable and I think they would continue to buy and adapt what is out there. I mean most people's gateway game is D&D because they we're introduced to it by somebody who already played it, I think a very small number of people just go buy D&D without prior exsposure to it because of name recognition. If D&D dissappears then I think another game will eventually become a dominant favorite and after a few years make it to 800ib gorilla status.
guildofblades
First Post
>>Either D&D is worth something, in which case Hasbro will sell it.
Or it isn't, in which case Hasbro won't bother sueing people over it.
Either way, I have enough D&D stuff for the rest of the century.<<
The D&D brand surely has value. The potential problem lies in disagreements in how much value. A few years ago (Prior to the D&D Minis line) Hasbro used some unofficial back channels to shop the brand around and the asking price I heard was $18 Million. Very few gaming companies could afford that outright and those who had a thought that they could raise the money from private investors didn't even think about it because the asking price was simply too high. I personally have less of an idea of how much the D&D minis gross these days, so pegging a sales value for the whole D&D brand now would be difficult.
>>Other large gaming companies ("large" being defined as "can afford to hire more than one person as full-time staff") would take a long, hard look at their numbers - and downsize.<<
Not necessarily. Role Playing games actually comprise a small part of the market these days. Most game store survive on other revenues coming from trading card games, miniatures games and board games, plus accessories like dice, card sleeves, pop and candy, tournament fees. Very few game stores are reliant on RPGs to keep the lights on anymore. I don't see WW, Steve Jackson and any number of other companies downsizing in the face of a major market void forming like that. Heck, even smaller companies with staff like the Guild would not be affected, as we derive most of our revenues from online sales and to a lesser extent, advertising and e-products. What little revenue we get from sales of game products to game stores come from the well diversified stores that could easily survive WOTC crashing and burning, so even those sales would not be much at risk. The market void, however, could make for an opportunity to sell more products though.
Ryan S. Johnson
Guild of Blades Publishing Group
http://www.guildofblades.com
http://www.1483online.com
http://www.thermopylae-online.com
Or it isn't, in which case Hasbro won't bother sueing people over it.
Either way, I have enough D&D stuff for the rest of the century.<<
The D&D brand surely has value. The potential problem lies in disagreements in how much value. A few years ago (Prior to the D&D Minis line) Hasbro used some unofficial back channels to shop the brand around and the asking price I heard was $18 Million. Very few gaming companies could afford that outright and those who had a thought that they could raise the money from private investors didn't even think about it because the asking price was simply too high. I personally have less of an idea of how much the D&D minis gross these days, so pegging a sales value for the whole D&D brand now would be difficult.
>>Other large gaming companies ("large" being defined as "can afford to hire more than one person as full-time staff") would take a long, hard look at their numbers - and downsize.<<
Not necessarily. Role Playing games actually comprise a small part of the market these days. Most game store survive on other revenues coming from trading card games, miniatures games and board games, plus accessories like dice, card sleeves, pop and candy, tournament fees. Very few game stores are reliant on RPGs to keep the lights on anymore. I don't see WW, Steve Jackson and any number of other companies downsizing in the face of a major market void forming like that. Heck, even smaller companies with staff like the Guild would not be affected, as we derive most of our revenues from online sales and to a lesser extent, advertising and e-products. What little revenue we get from sales of game products to game stores come from the well diversified stores that could easily survive WOTC crashing and burning, so even those sales would not be much at risk. The market void, however, could make for an opportunity to sell more products though.
Ryan S. Johnson
Guild of Blades Publishing Group
http://www.guildofblades.com
http://www.1483online.com
http://www.thermopylae-online.com
Jürgen Hubert
First Post
Imaro said:
You are forgetting that D&D is pretty much the only RPG that's being sold in mainstream book and hobby stores in the USA. Us hardcore gamers tend not to bother with that, because we have our own distribution channels we rely on, but a large number of people buy D&D there and start D&D with the books they find in the stores.
Thus, D&D is more responsible for introducing newbies to the hobby than any other RPGs - if the numbers are anything to judge by.
khyron1144
First Post
Jürgen Hubert said:
Good point/ question.
I don't know anything about running a company and have no professional writing experience.
The next stage of the plan would be: invite the game designers I respect to join with my newly reborn TSR. Offer them good incentives, including ownership of new intellectual property they create for us, and tell them generally what I want: a new edition of D&D that feels like a truer continuation of 1e and 2e; four good worlds to play this new D&D in, preferably with two of them being Spelljammer and Greyhawk; and a good SF game; and then get out of their way, while they create.
jdrakeh
Front Range Warlock
If WotC went out of business (i.e., if Hasbro quit publishing RPGs), I think that they'd sell off all of the IP associated with it to the highest bidder. Somebody suggested that they'd hang onto it tightly as they did with the old Avalon Hill IP, but one must remember that the AH property was largely board game-related and that Hasbro still has a board game division.
If they close WotC they will not have a RPG division and, thus, not much reason to retain most of TSR's IP. They may hold onto the D&D IP with an eye toward more D&D boardgames, card games, etc. . . but I doubt it, as its primary appeal is as an RPG. Even if they do retain it, there is no doubt in my mind that they'll be looking to license it out.
If they close WotC they will not have a RPG division and, thus, not much reason to retain most of TSR's IP. They may hold onto the D&D IP with an eye toward more D&D boardgames, card games, etc. . . but I doubt it, as its primary appeal is as an RPG. Even if they do retain it, there is no doubt in my mind that they'll be looking to license it out.
Ranger REG
Explorer
Not if Mattel have anything to say about that. Never underestimate the power of the Barbie and Hot Wheels fans.khyron1144 said:
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
Similar Threads
