[OT] Hasbro profits up.

[SemperJase]

For those interested in the business end of gaming, WotC's parent company Hasbro declared earnings today. Good news for the company.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm.../20031020/bs_nm/manufacturing_hasbro_earns_dc
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hasbro Inc. (NYSE:HAS - news), the nation's No. 2 toymaker, on Monday posted a nearly 23 percent jump in third-quarter earnings, boosted by strong U.S. sales of popular new toys as well as classic toys and board games.
...
Games segment revenue rose 11 percent to $250.2 million, boosted by Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary Edition, Bulls-Eye Ball and Magic: The Gathering trading card games.

No mention of RPG's specifically but I believe they are rolled into the games segment. My guess is that the biggest bump on the release of 3.5 E would come in the company's 4th quarter.

Another note, I take Hasbro's report of increased profit as a positive indicator of the economy. After all, people don't spend as much on entertainment when the economy is getting worse.

How does this relate to gaming? It indicates the industry is in a good economic environment to remain healthy. That could translate to more quality products.

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

I would be surprised if D&D was a significant contributor to WotC/Hasbro profits, but this is still good news inded.

 

[Umbran]

Another note, I take Hasbro's report of increased profit as a positive indicator of the economy. After all, people don't spend as much on entertainment when the economy is getting worse.

Maybe yes, and maybe no. That depends on exactly the form of entertainment. People may not buy many $100 toys, but may buy more lower-cost items with good repeat-play potential. Remember that when the economy is worse, so is morale. People tend to try to find things that raise morale.

In full fledged depression people stop buyiing entertainments. In slightly off times, they merely change what entertainment they buy.

 

[Joshua Randall]

It'll be interesting to see what the stock analysts who follow Hasbro do after this announcement. You can monitor upgrades/downgrades at various places, such as Yahoo! Finance.

 

[Dark Jezter]

This is good news for D&D Players, and bad news for anti-Hasbro/WOTC people who believe those companies are the source of all evil in the universe.

So, I'm happy with Hasbro's success.

 

[Gizzard]

In full fledged depression people stop buyiing entertainments. In slightly off times, they merely change what entertainment they buy.

Is that true? I thought that movies were huge during the Great Depression; people were willing to scrounge up a dime to escape their troubles for a couple hours. Anecdotal, I know.

How does this relate to gaming?

The cynic in me says its just all bad for gaming. Next year Hasbro will want to squeeze even more money out of their most sucessful franchises so they can say, "Sales are up over the same time last year..." I do realize that if you start thinking this way there's no winning scenario for D&D -- if they make money they get squeezed to show more profit, if they lose money they get trimmed to show less loss. (The cynic in me is no fun to hang around since he always can find a gloomy prediction like this. ;-)

 

[Wombat]

Is that true? I thought that movies were huge during the Great Depression; people were willing to scrounge up a dime to escape their troubles for a couple hours. Anecdotal, I know.

Nope, not anecdotal at all, a true fact. The cheapness of movies, the glamour they portrayed (people loved the big, glitzy musicals best), and the fact that you could spend 3-4 hours easily (newsreel, cartoon(s), short feature, sing along, and two features) meant you had a place to go, something to take you away from the drab world outside, etc.

My parents and grandparents talked about escaping to the movies on a regular basis during the Depression. I've seen studies on this, too.

Oh, and after the movie you might splurge the extra nickel for a cup of coffee and a donut...

 

[Halivar]

Hasbro has all my well-wishes simply for giving me GI Joe and Transformers as a kid. Crud, I'll let them run the country for that. Or... was that their plan all along???

 

[Pielorinho]

Oh, and after the movie you might splurge the extra nickel for a cup of coffee and a donut...

My wife, when Krispy Kreme went public, talked about buying some shares. "Even when the economy is bad," she said, "ESPECIALLY when the economy is bad, everyone likes doughnuts, and they're a luxury you can always afford."

She's kicking herself now for not acting on her hunch.

Daniel

 

[Darrin Drader]

Hasbro has all my well-wishes simply for giving me GI Joe and Transformers as a kid. Crud, I'll let them run the country for that. Or... was that their plan all along???

Damn! You figured it out.