WotC Should WotC buy a Fantasy Novel Publisher like Tor next?

[Dausuul]

But those aren't published by WotC.

Yes, they are. Random House is providing sales and distribution services, but the publisher for M:tG novels and for most D&D novels (contrary to what it may appear, Salvatore is not in fact the only person who writes D&D novels) is Wizards.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Yeah I agree with everyone else here, it aint worth it to buy a publisher.

To address the OP's concerns directly, Wizard's already is able to make books for their universes, even if they aren't the publisher. Sure they get more revenue when they become the publisher, but they get more costs too, and because it's not their core business the costs probably outweigh the revenue.

As for new IPs, I don't think Wizards just wants to gobble up whatever IPs they can, if you're looking at the Texas example. It seems more like they want to create IPs that align with their business, gaming. Getting new IP from fiction is only a fraction of the task, as you need a "fictional IP" that is also in conjunction with "the gaming system." Magic and D&D already do that, I'm sure Texas will be developing something that is similar, a fictional system that aligns well with whatever game system their developing.

 

[Parmandur]

Yes, they are. Random House is providing sales and distribution services, but the publisher for M:tG novels and for most D&D novels (contrary to what it may appear, Salvatore is not in fact the only person who writes D&D novels) is Wizards.

That is incorrect: WotC stopped publishing new novels in 2016. The Magic books are fully pu pushed by Penguin, and the D&D books by HarperCollins. Wizards is just the licensor now, collecting money from the publishers.

They do still publish books, just not new novels

 

[Zardnaar]

This is exactly it!

And WotC aren't interested in making RPGs any more. They're interested in making D&D. And most of these settings don't fit into a D&D mould, so it's not like they could be sourcebooks.

The market as a whole has changed, too - it seems like licensed settings are increasingly going to smaller, more boutique-type game publishers. I can only speculate as to the reasons - could be that they aren't as profitable as people had hoped, could be that the fact that many SF-fantasy authors are ex-or-current RPG players incines them towards companies they think will do the setting/IP justice, because it's not going to be big bucks either way.

I mean, at the really high end of licensed, it's interesting to me that Star Wars is no longer with WotC. I somehow doubt that FFG outbid WotC because WotC didn't have enough cash or something. Instead I'm pretty sure when the renewal came up, WotC were like "Ehhh, thanks Disney but we'll pass on that...". I have little doubt that a WotC-backed SW RPG would sell more copies than an FFG-backed one (because of cross-marketing with D&D and greater reach), but I strongly suspect WotC would see it as parasitic of D&D, and potentially fragmenting their own audience, so are not interested.

WotC screwed Lucasfilm. They made minis as an RPG item when you normally need a toy license which costs more.

Legally I think WotC were right, legally Lucasfilm doesn't have to renew the license so there's that.

They probably could have outbid FFG but there were lawsuits iirc and I don't think they wanted WotC to have the license.

 

[Parmandur]

Since WotC is now in the mode of buying other companies again (like when they bought TSR and Hasbro bought Avalon Hill and gave it to WotC), with WotC now having bought Tuque Games, should the next purchased company be a novel publishing company like Tor or Del Ray? and if so which publishing company should WotC buy?

not only would a novel publisher allow WotC to publish their own novels for MtG, D&D, ect..., again, but it would get WotC fresh IPs (well fresh to WotC) which they indicated they want via their new Texas office headed by Ohlan.

All of the fantasy/sci-fi publishers out there are already imprints of huge multinationals, so no.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

WotC screwed Lucasfilm. They made minis as an RPG item when you normally need a toy license which costs more.

Legally I think WotC were right, legally Lucasfilm doesn't have to renew the license so there's that.

They probably could have outbid FFG but there were lawsuits iirc and I don't think they wanted WotC to have the license.

Is this confirmed somewhere or a fan theory? I looked into it because I wanted to see the juicy details of the beef, but I can't see anything to support the "WotC screwed Lucasfilm" interpretation. I can't see any reporting of pending lawsuits or anything and it doesn't seem to fit the facts.

The Star Wars Miniatures Game existed for six years. It seems very unlikely that Lucasfilm was just "surprised" by them doing this, and then just didn't take any action at all from 2004, until 2010, then suddenly lawsuits! That would be pretty weird to put it mildly. Lucasfilm are litigious and if WotC had violated their contract, they'd have been all over them.

What I can see is a lot of complaining from people that the quality of the minis was going down drastically, and that the "reboot" of the line (not sure exactly when this was? 2007 or 2008?) was surprisingly unsuccessful, despite apparently improving things somewhat, and that by 2008 the products were no longer selling well (piecing together various threads on various forums, particularly Boardgamegeek, here).

Then in 2010, WotC announce that they're dropping the line and the RPG. They blame "the economic downturn", which is meaningless because everyone blamed it for everything, but I can't find anything from the time saying "Actually there were lawsuits!" or "Lucasfilm actually didn't want them to renew it!" or anything of the sort. The official Lucasfilm line was the same (on StarWars.com). Given that the minis had reported poor sales, and that interest in Star Wars was not particularly high in 2010 (two years before Disney bought Lucasfilm), I feel like, unless you have at least some more specific scuttlebutt, this is probably a case of fans making up a cool story, rather than a thing that happened.

 

[Zardnaar]

Is this confirmed somewhere or a fan theory? I looked into it because I wanted to see the juicy details of the beef, but I can't see anything to support the "WotC screwed Lucasfilm" interpretation. I can't see any reporting of pending lawsuits or anything and it doesn't seem to fit the facts.

The Star Wars Miniatures Game existed for six years. It seems very unlikely that Lucasfilm was just "surprised" by them doing this, and then just didn't take any action at all from 2004, until 2010, then suddenly lawsuits! That would be pretty weird to put it mildly. Lucasfilm are litigious and if WotC had violated their contract, they'd have been all over them.

What I can see is a lot of complaining from people that the quality of the minis was going down drastically, and that the "reboot" of the line (not sure exactly when this was? 2007 or 2008?) was surprisingly unsuccessful, despite apparently improving things somewhat, and that by 2008 the products were no longer selling well (piecing together various threads on various forums, particularly Boardgamegeek, here).

Then in 2010, WotC announce that they're dropping the line and the RPG. They blame "the economic downturn", which is meaningless because everyone blamed it for everything, but I can't find anything from the time saying "Actually there were lawsuits!" or "Lucasfilm actually didn't want them to renew it!" or anything of the sort. The official Lucasfilm line was the same (on StarWars.com). Given that the minis had reported poor sales, and that interest in Star Wars was not particularly high in 2010 (two years before Disney bought Lucasfilm), I feel like, unless you have at least some more specific scuttlebutt, this is probably a case of fans making up a cool story, rather than a thing that happened.

It's possible. Seems odd letting Star Wars slide away though but yeah we don't have the financials.

Your not going to make Megabucks with a Star Wars RPG. You'll get into top 5 with it but it's not gonna be tens of millions of dollars.

FFG Star Wars battle game might idk.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Maybe Hasbro would buy a comic publisher or some 3rd Party because this has got really good ideas about a new IP. In the next years Hasbro could try to buy Mattel again. My April's fool the last year was saying Hasbro had bought Paizo and Games Workshop. I was kidding, but I think it may be possible some day.

WotC doesn't want to publish other TTRPG.... yet, but I would bet they are working in a d20 Modern 2.0. because they want to publish adaptations of famous franchises, not only by Hasbro, the "Hasbroverse", but also superheroes comics (someones from the golden age are public domain now) and videogames. Tabletop games is the product for the teenages who don't play with toys any more because they are too old.

And I also imagine WotC game designers using computer simulations to betatest new types of games with d20 as mass battles or skirmishes between warbands, investigating about the right level of power among playable factions with different technological level (for example a group of primitive tribesmen against invader corsairs with firearms in the setting "Red Steel/Savage Coast", a Mystara spin-off).

Why not to buy another game company as CMON, the creators of Zombicide or Massive Darkness?

Other option can be to buy franchises, as Power Rangers among others. Some canceled videogames could be perfect to board games, or tabletop games fused with mobile apps.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Maybe Hasbro would buy a comic publisher or some 3rd Party because this has got really good ideas about a new IP. In the next years Hasbro could try to buy Mattel again. My April's fool the last year was saying Hasbro had bought Paizo and Games Workshop. I was kidding, but I think it may be possible some day.

WotC doesn't want to publish other TTRPG.... yet, but I would bet they are working in a d20 Modern 2.0. because they want to publish adaptations of famous franchises, not only by Hasbro, the "Hasbroverse", but also superheroes comics (someones from the golden age are public domain now) and videogames. Tabletop games is the product for the teenages who don't play with toys any more because they are too old.

And I also imagine WotC game designers using computer simulations to betatest new types of games with d20 as mass battles or skirmishes between warbands, investigating about the right level of power among playable factions with different technological level (for example a group of primitive tribesmen against invader corsairs with firearms in the setting "Red Steel/Savage Coast", a Mystara spin-off).

Why not to buy another game company as CMON, the creators of Zombicide or Massive Darkness?

Other option can be to buy franchises, as Power Rangers among others. Some canceled videogames could be perfect to board games, or tabletop games fused with mobile apps.

This is rampant speculation. Not a shred of evidence Wizards is doing any of this.

What has happened; Wizards exploring partnerships with different IPs and third-parties (the Rick and Morty box, the Acq. Inc. book, mentioning Exandria from Critical Role in the Descent). They've also opened a Texas office exploring new IPs that is outside of Magic or D&D.

That combined just looks like more ways of growing D&D, and there certainly aren't any big moves like buying publishers. The Texas office could be exploring d20, or something completely different.

And again, Hasbro has minimal influence on what Wizard's does. They don't try to tell their subsidiaries what to do if they're already really profitable.

 

[gyor]

I'm actually not too familiar with the publishing business so I'm confused. Wizards already publishes their own RPG books. Is there a reason they would need to purchase a different company to publish novels?

WotC used to publish their own novels at one time, but the guy before Chris Cocks, decided WotC wasn't in the business of novels, ignoring the hundreds of novels published by the company for D&D and MtG alone, and got WotC out of the Novel publishing business altogther, after hollowing out the staff required, like Editors.

This left Chris Cocks who came in after having to deal with that mess, he was left having to fix that, so he went looking for a publisher to make a deal with, but there where no takers. Now Salvatore was determined and while isn't one of the best writers for FR, he is the most popular, and he managed to make his own deal WotC and Harper Collins.

Now MtG side they rescently started making their own side deals for Novels with other companies like the War of the Spark with Del Rey.

Now if WotC buys an up and coming Indie Fantasy Publisher (going after a bigger company was a mistake on my part), the hypothetical Tuque Games of Fantasy Novel publishing if you will, that comes with equiptment, staff like trained and experienced editors, deals with authors, exciting IPs that have potential, but that need broader promotion to blow up big.

We've seen with the aquistion of Tuque Games and the opening of the Texas WotC office whose purpose is developing NEW IPs, that WotC over the last 5 years of major success and profits and growth has made WotC more ambitious, they clearly have a huge plans for expanding. I mean they just gained 55 new employees and that is growing.