PHB2 sold out!

[Maggan]

Five Ring Publishing comes to mind right away.
Ars Magica (Altho that one's been whored out to -everyone- at some point.)
Everway
Jyhad/V:TES (altho the IP for that was owned by WW, it's a Garfield Game)
Gamma World

Five Ring ... is that Rokugan?

Gamma World, huh? Who bought that? Couldn't find anything about it on the Internet.

/M

 

[Kwalish Kid]

Even if every 4e book came with a free $100 bill, some people would not buy it because they're happy with what they're using now.

This is a sad statement on the extreme and irrational conservative nature of the standard D&D player.

 

[Piratecat]

Kask et al ~ quit the bickering and rudeness. You know better. If someone's being a jerk, please report the post, because replying in kind is just going to make things worse.

 

[Hammerhead]

Create a "false impression" of the book sales doing exceedingly well? I don;t know.

It was just what I thought Kask was flailing at with the opaque hinting.

Speaking as a supply chain professional, people in my profession tend to favor distribution/production/inventory strategies that keep costs low and gets product to customers, instead of trying to impress random people on the Internet with how fast you sell out of your newest book.

Just a thought.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

This is a sad statement on the extreme and irrational conservative nature of the standard D&D player.

Meh. Some folks just like 3.X better. In fact, when 4E came out, I got the books, but it just reminded me how much I liked 3.5 and sent me back to it from Savage Worlds. Now, I'm running a little of each. I enjoy them all, and so do most of my players.

 

[Derren]

Speaking as a supply chain professional, people in my profession tend to favor distribution/production/inventory strategies that keep costs low and gets product to customers, instead of trying to impress random people on the Internet with how fast you sell out of your newest book.

Just a thought.

Something I would call the Wii Strategy.
Without all the media buzz, which included "Wii sold out!!!!" the Wii wouldn't have sold as much as it did.

Did WotC try something similar? I don't think so, but its possible.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Something I would call the Wii Strategy.
Without all the media buzz, which included "Wii sold out!!!!" the Wii wouldn't have sold as much as it did.

Is there any actual proof beyond Internet rumor that Nintendo actually did this?

 

[Kwalish Kid]

Is there any actual proof beyond Internet rumor that Nintendo actually did this?

given the actual sales numbers, the supposed "Wii Strategy" would be the dumbest move ever. If Nintendo had kept up to demand, they would have had more money in sooner. Support for such a theory is about as good as 911 conspiracy theories.

 

[gribble]

And that is why my players always get PHBs for their birthdays

Welcome to the target demographic for 4e - someone who wants a new PHB released every year!

 

[vagabundo]

Something I would call the Wii Strategy.
Without all the media buzz, which included "Wii sold out!!!!" the Wii wouldn't have sold as much as it did.

Did WotC try something similar? I don't think so, but its possible.

The Wii strategy is call blue ocean; selling to new customers rather than fighting over the already existent market. It was helped by the fact that the Wii was a party system and customers became advocates of the system to friends and family by hosting Wii parties. Wii sports was a killer App in this; four player fun for all age groups.

The "sold out" effect may have slightly increased media exposure, but the phenomenal sales were there from the marketing and the device itself.

Is there any actual proof beyond Internet rumor that Nintendo actually did this?

Nintendo definately did not purposely under supply. No way. The are a very conservative company, that has been in business for over a hundred years - making playing cards when they first started. The Wii was not a sure thing, with hindsight it is easy to ask why they didnt ramp up productions, but internally it was seen as a risk.

Ramping up production facilities is not something you can do over night and you have to be sure that the demand will sustain itself or you will end up with a lose; ramping up prodcution costs a lot of money.

Nintendo have increased supply several times to try and meet demand, but demand has been phenomenal. They have sold more than the PS2 in the same time frame.

So no, no way, they did not artificially create this situation.

EDIT: Nintendo have made a profit every one of those years, an amazing achievement and partly due to their business culture I suspect.