Pathfinder 1E Is PAIZO becoming the next Wizards?

[ggroy]

Alot is so nebulous. I can also say with confidence that alot of "4E people" merely prefer the edition over 3.5E and if left with no new content for 4E might "move on" to a supported version (Pathfinder). I believe that D&D has remained at the top of the RPG world for one main reason: support.

In principle, a 3PP such as a Goodman or Mongoose (or somebody else) could step in and produce new titles for the "4E refugees" crowd in the event that D&D is completely taken off the market. One could argue whether such a gesture is just a "last gasp" or "too little too late".

 

[Mistwell]

The only realistic plan I could see growing them that rapidly would be a buyout from a company similar in size to Hasbro. Those with ownership in Paizo would have to be nearly saintly in their devotion to the game to resist the big payoff selling to one of Hasbro's rivals.

Hmm. OK, I can see Mattel wanting to expand into a larger product set. Not sure Paizo would be as attractive as some other acquisition targets out there, but I can see that as a possible method of doing it.

A less realistic series of events, IMO, would be a discontinuation of the D&D brand. Paizo's Pathfinder would become the de facto current supported edition and would probably see a influx of business large enough to allow them to expand.

Indeed. Another good one.

Neither are likely scenarios, but they do at least pass the blush test of plausibility!

 

[ggroy]

I also agree with a lot of posters that Paizo needs to develop their own fantasy game, to become a signature company. They are diversifying, and that is good for them and the hobby, but I's like them to do a totally new game, still fantasy, but not a derivitive of 3.5. In my opinion, doing Pathfinder makes them too close to WOTC, just like when they were doing the magazines and Dungeon APs, to be a true industry leader.

I suspect that if Paizo had done a completely original "Pathfinder" rpg back in 2007-2008 that was not d20/OGL based, it may possibly have become another "fantasy heartbreaker rpg" that wouldn't have been as popular as the d20/OGL Pathfinder rpg we know today.

With that being said, I wouldn't be surprised of the possibility of the next edition of Pathfinder being a completely new original design with very little to no vestiges of the 3.5E SRD mechanics. (This could be anywhere from a few years, to more than a decade from now). Something like this would have been a harder sell in 2008-2009.

With Pathfinder having a more established brand name in the next few years, in principle they could try capitalizing on it when it comes to producing a new original ruleset for a 2E Pathfinder. Tangentially, we may be seeing something like this already with the rumors of Goodman producing a "Dungeon Crawl Classics" rpg, which is essentially Goodman leveraging the DCC brand name and making it into his company's own house system, instead of being dependent on the whims of WotC.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

Hmm. OK, I can see Mattel wanting to expand into a larger product set. Not sure Paizo would be as attractive as some other acquisition targets out there, but I can see that as a possible method of doing it.

I think there are many general acquisitions Mattel would make above Paizo, but then again I was sursprised when Hasbro acquired WotC. Although they were more likely after WotC CCGs than RPGs.

Is there another company specific to RPGs you think would be a more likely acquisition target?

 

[ggroy]

Is there another company specific to RPGs you think would be a more likely acquisition target?

Perhaps a video game/MMO type company?

 

[ShinHakkaider]

Alot is so nebulous. I can also say with confidence that alot of "4E people" merely prefer the edition over 3.5E and if left with no new content for 4E might "move on" to a supported version (Pathfinder). I believe that D&D has remained at the top of the RPG world for one main reason: support.

Yeah, well I wish i'd kept a count of how many posters made comments like "I don't think that I could go back to playing or Dming 3.5 after playing / Dming 4e" but it was said ALOT. I know your use of nebulous is an attempt to downplay or discredit what I just said but that WAS the overwhelming sentiment of a significant amount of the 4E proponents on this board during the first year of 4E's release.

Pathfinder is modded 3.5, but at it's core it's still 3.5. And many of the things that 4E proponents like (Powers/Small monster Statblocks, etc) are not part of Pathfinder. Let me be specific here: I'm talking about the 4E people who have no desire to play/run any 3.5 games EVER AGAIN. We are a like in that I dont see myself playing / running 4E (well maybe as Boardgames - ala Ravenloft, if it works like I hope it will, I'll finally have a use for my 4E core book gift set! as a home made expansion kit for the 4E Boardgames. YAY!) as an RPG ever again. It's a well designed game, but the times that I ran it, it felt nothing like D&D (despite it having the brand) to me. Much in the way that Fantasy Hero, Rolemaster and GURPS Fantasy dont feel like D&D.

Admin here. Knock it off. This is flat-out edition warring and has nothing whatsoever to do with Paizo's position in the RPG market. I don't expect to see further digressions like this one; PM me if this is somehow unclear. ~ PCat

 

[Squizzle]

The more likely acquisition in the RPG market would someone purchasing CCP Games, which owns White Wolf, as well as (more lucratively) EVE Online. I don't know if a company like Mattel would be the first one I'd look to to acquire it, but of those companies dealing with RPGs, it's probably the most desirable target.

 

[Nikosandros]

I think there are many general acquisitions Mattel would make above Paizo, but then again I was sursprised when Hasbro acquired WotC. Although they were more likely after WotC CCGs than RPGs.

I'm pretty certain it was that, especially since at the time the acquisition, WotC was making a lot of money from the Pokemon TCG.

 

[ggroy]

I'm pretty certain it was that, especially since at the time the acquisition, WotC was making a lot of money from the Pokemon TCG.

If WotC had never got the license to do the Pokemon TCG, wonder if Hasbro would have ever been interested in WotC in the first place.

 

[Hussar]

ggroy - I highly, highly doubt it. It was the Pokedollars that brought WOTC high enough to enter into Hasbro's radar. The RPG end of things certainly wasn't going to do it.