MAT bidding for Hasbro??

[der_kluge]

My first thoughts exactly. Let some gamer who cares about D&D buy and run the D&D properties, not some corporate suit. Then again, maybe it's just my general distaste for anything "marketing"-esque.

http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/03/26/wizards_part2/index1.html

Some of the stuff in the above article is heartbreaking for me, as it shows a company founded on "having fun" being forced to grow up. Maybe it's necessary, but it's not fun.

--The Sigil

Behold!

The Sigil's shortest post, ever!

 

[der_kluge]

whom I have seen on these boards could probably run WotC well, based on their success at their own companies. However, I imagine that the cost of buying WotC might require some companies to pool their financial resources.

I suspect that if you took the financial capital of all the d20 publishers, and added in White Wolf, you'd probably be able to purchase about 15% of WoTC. Add in Games Workshop and you might have it. But maybe not quite.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I suspect that if you took the financial capital of all the d20 publishers, and added in White Wolf, you'd probably be able to purchase about 15% of WoTC. Add in Games Workshop and you might have it. But maybe not quite.

Hey, I'll kick in $20.

 

[haakon1]

Boston Beer

I wish WOTC was an independently owned company, owned by the gamers. A model would be Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams Boston Lager), which is owned by a lot of small-time investors/Sam Adams fans.

I think several sports teams are owned that way too, in both the US and UK.

I'd buy some shares in WOTC . . .

 

[The Sigil]

'cuz gamers make the best CEOs.....

Maybe not, but I find it interesting that when WotC had the "talent purge" (Sean K Reynolds, Monte Cook, Chris Pramas either leaving or being "let go") I heard rumblings that the problem wasn't that the D&D unit wasn't making money... the problem was "it wasn't making money hand-over-fist" (or something like that). IIRC, Monte's comments on his website were something along the line of companies wanting mega-hits like Pokemon, while profitable but not obscenely profitable properties like D&D weren't valued.

I believe that if you have D&D owned by a gamer who loves the stuff, he'll be happy to run it if it's "profitable" even if it's not "obscenely profitable." I should think that for a gamer, if everyone's getting a fair salary, the bills are being paid, and you're making a little profit, things are good... i.e., a gamer owning D&D doesn't have to be a great businessman, just one competent enough not to run the thing into red ink.

I know if I owned the properties and made the same money I'm making now, I'd be quite happy. But then, that's the difference between "small business owners" (who are happy to pay the bills and take home a little profit) and "publicly traded companies" (who have to keep turning bigger and bigger profits year after year after year).

I really think it's that public vs. private ownership that "turns the corner" on things, honestly.

--The Sigil

 

[Aeson]

Being that Matel and Hasbro are the number one and number two toy makers in the world, respectively, who is number three, how far back are they now of Hasbro, and how far back would they be as number two if Matel bought Hasbro?

I think number 3 is Santa Claus. Think back to the last time you got a toy from Santa and that is how far behind the other 2 he is.

I almost forgot about Mattel so I have no idea who #3 is.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Now, Barbie's Malibu Dungeon! Including Ranger Ken, Sorceress Skipper, and Stacy the Faerie Queen!

(Pink Dragon Mount sold separately.)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo!!!!

 

[Steel_Wind]

I would happily buy it. Now where did I put that 50 million?

WotC has been shopping the D&D franchise for 18 months now. The going price is 30 million USD.

Please appreciate that the most significant asset in the D&D line is the right to make computer games based on WotC's IP. That license remains in the hands of Atari for the next 10 years, significantly reducing the value of the D&D brand on a resale.

With electronic rights that are not owned lock stock and barrel - that would be a very different story. Then it would not surprise me to see Microsoft or NCSoft buy the brand and resell to an operating company to carry on RPG products while retaining all electronic rights. (Shade of FASA and MEchwarrior/Battletech licensing).

But that is not currently possible with the D&D brand. The D&D electronic rights were granted by Hasbro in 2000 for less than FMV as a critical sweetener in their sell off of a blood gushing redline on their financial statement called "Hasbro Interactive". Hasbro Interactive was a dot. com bust of epic proportions and they were desperate to dump it. A 15 year exclusive license for D&D was the price Hasbro had to pay for it.

Just last month, Hasbro tried to buy back the electronic rights to D&D from Atari - and Atari asked Hasbro for far more money that Hasbro was prepared to pay. Hasbro DID reclaim Transformers and Magic electronic rights for about 60 million - but Atari will not let D&D go at a price Hasbro would pay.

Moral of the Story: The big money in the brand is CRPGs and MMORPG royalties and licensing fees - not Rule books or miniatures. Sorry if that does not sit well with some people here - but that's the cold reality.

 

[satori01]

You honestly think it's possible to rise to a position of significance within a company like Mattel or Hasbro without knowing every revenue stream available to the company, no matter how small?

(Not that D&D is small.)

According to all the CEOs on trial for financial misdeeds, not only is it possibly but seems to be almost mandatory, afterall that is why there are CFOs.

 

[satori01]

Moral of the Story: The big money in the brand is CRPGs and MMORPG royalties and licensing fees - not Rule books or miniatures. Sorry if that does not sit well with some people here - but that's the cold reality.

Which I think is fine, and can be to the benefit of CRPG and pen and paper games. Baldur's Gate was probably the best thing to happen to D&D in a long time, serving to introduce people to some concept of D&D and bringing alot of lapse game players back into the fold, and eager for a new edition.

MMORPGs can bring alot of innovative concepts to the role playing tabletop.