The market dying?

[ColonelHardisson]

WotC has floated around 45% according to numbers I trust -- not the 70% or 90% bandied about here.

Where do those numbers come from?

 

[Turjan]

Where do those numbers come from?

Game and hobby stores.

 

[Crothian]

Game and hobby stores.

How many of them??

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Game and hobby stores.

OK, but doesn't that make them just as anecdotal as anything else "bandied about" in this thread?

 

[eyebeams]

So, here the direct question: Do any of your data contain the sales figures of RPG books from amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Walmart and Target? Yes or no?

Actually, yes. New releases from the top 5 regularly approach or exceed D&D in online sales rankings. As of this post, for instance, I queue up Amazon and:

Mage: The Awakening: #683
Players Handbook: #1041

 

[Turjan]

How many of them??

Don't know. Those that care to fill out questionnaires and send them back.

 

[eyebeams]

Game and hobby stores.

Not entirely, no.

 

[Crothian]

Actually, yes. New releases from the top 5 regularly approach or exceed D&D in online sales rankings. As of this post, for instance, I queue up Amazon and:

Mage: The Awakening: #683
Players Handbook: #1041

Yes, the hot new game from a big company will outsell the game from another big company that was released 3 years ago. For a real coomparison you should be using Vampire, World of Darkness, or even Werewolf. Those numbers I think will be more accurate in the long run. MAge is spiking in sales, as the Playershandbook did 3 years ago.

 

[Crothian]

Don't know. Those that care to fill out questionnaires and send them back.

Right, which really questions how accurate that is. Its only game stores, and just the ones that fill out the questionaire.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Not entirely, no.

The thing is, such answers seem very cryptic. If there is any hard data, why not post it? Amazon sales rankings aren't that great at telling the whole story - for example, which company sells more titles, WotC or White Wolf? Wouldn't that figure into this?