Community

Jan 28, 2010 -- 11:08AM, ironlightsaber wrote:

If we have been given eight months notice before the end of the product line then I expect the forums here to be around for quite a while. 

Exactly. No need to panic just yet.

sad to see it go-   wanted to see the AAT droid tank.

A bittersweet moment, to be sure. On the one hand, I'm disappointed that WotC has become such an abysmal failure of a company that it can't handle a license agreement with LFL, when it's parent company -Habro - has an agreement in place through 2020.

On the other hand, I'm looking forward to helping keep the game and the community going, and quite frankly, I am pleased with the fact that no more of my hard-earned money will be going to Wizards of the Coast. They have parted ways with LFL, and have bid me farewell in the process. Congratulations guys, and so long!!! 

I just heard so I had to pop on!!

Looks like I wont have anything to come back to when I'm sorted
Theres the thanks for all our support.

SWM FOREVER!!!

Jan 28, 2010 -- 9:56AM, WotC_BigGuy wrote:

There have been several questions lately regarding the future of the Star Wars Miniatures and Roleplaying Game and until now I haven’t had definitive answers to give you.  After a lengthy evaluation, Wizards of the Coast has decided not to renew the Star Wars license with Lucasfilm. We’ve had a long and fantastic run, but with the economic downturn, we have made the tough decision to discontinue our Star Wars lines.

The license officially ends in May this year, with WotC product available through August. In the meantime, we have awesome new products still coming your way. This week, we released The Dark Times minis and Galaxy of Intrigue RPG. We’ll have more coming with Masters of the Force minis in April, which will have some of your most favorite characters along with rare creatures from the Dejarik Holochess game that have never appeared in our game. We’ll also release The Unknown Regions RPG in April, which includes entirely new planets and mini-adventures for each world.

We are finishing the line with a bang so look for special programs at your local game store to stock up on favorite sets before they go into the vault. We will continue to support our Star Wars forums on the Wizards Community site so you can reach out and chat with us and other fans.

While I know the news is disappointing, we wanted to make this announcement as soon as possible and thank you for being such great fans. It’s been a fantastic ride with the Star Wars community and working with Lucasfilm. We hope you enjoy the next several months of great products. You never know when we may circle back again!

Greg Yahn

Director of Marketing, Wizards of the Coast

Translation: Hi folks, the last time I spoke to you was to say hello. Today it's to say good-bye. WotC is in such poor financial shape that we can't even piggy-back the deal Hasbro made with LFL to keep our Star Wars gaming line up through 2020. So, rather than try to make a solid product you faithful customers have bought from us over the last five years, we've decided we don't really want your business or your money. But be sure to give us money through the end of spring on product that we don't have any intention of supporting. Please? You never know when we might decide to dangle a new Star Wars line carrot in front of you again!


/sarcasm

Okay seriously...  I believe it was never their intention to renew the license, and this gave them the out they needed. I mean, everyone knows that Hasbro renewed a license with LFL through 2020 and it was said at one point that the license would be extended to cover SWM/RPG if WotC wanted it to. They simply opted out, and Hasbro didn't even do anything to push the issue with their subsidiary.

Let me tell you something I have learned about business: decisions are rarely ever based on money. I have seen first-hand, some of the most profitable businesses ever to exist simply give up, and I have seen businesses that lose money every single year fight to survive and stay open against all odds, against common sense.

IMO this decision is a matter of pride, and an attempt to get a better handle on an in-house product line that really is failing. It's called Magic: The Gathering. It is taking all of WotC's strength to keep up with competitors like Yugioh, Pokemon, and a few other card games out there on the market. They've made all sorts of changes and even bent their own rules as far as possible without actually breaking them by using gimmicks and tricks to improve the bottom line on sales. And all of that has worked, but it's taking every bit of their energy and resources to do that. A licensed game is something they simply cannot afford to bother with right now, at least from their point of view. Unfortunately, as with most WotC decisions, it's short-sighted. They are eliminating revenue streams and surrendering customers. I mean, are any of us going to stay loyal to WotC and start playing something like Magic or D&D instead? I doubt very few of us will do that, and in fact once SWM/RPG has run its course, I will never give them another damn cent! Not because I'm bitter or angry about this decision - they are free to do what they want - but I have no interest in their other games, and no need to spend any more money with them. By parting ways with LFL, they are bidding me farewell, too.

Furthermore, WotC as a company is a failure. We've been over this part before. Dreamblade is the root of their downfall. I don't have time to post it all out but I am happy to discuss it with anyone face-to-face or on Skype. Beyond that, DuelMasters; Kids Next Door; Avalon Hill board line; D20 Modern; Hecatomb; NeoPets; SW TCG; GI JOE TCG, and I know there others that I can't name off the top of my head. Those are all WotC "experiments" that were failures, and so they discontinued those products. In short, they have pissed away a crapload of money and now they are suffering the result. Layoffs, unaffordable license fees, and abandonment of new game design.

This was a long time coming, and don't be fooled. The decision was made by people who don't care about you or me or how well the game is doing or how much it made. It was a decision made by people who are concerned about the health and longevity of Magic as a source of income. Period. 

That said, I'm glad they are getting out of the way. I really enjoy this game and I want to see it continue in the hands of the fans. It took me a long time to be comfortable with the idea of not having official support, but I'm here. If this had happened two years ago, my stuff would be on ebay right now.

And frankly, I'm glad I won't be giving WotC anymore of my money after April. There are a lot of other things I would rather be doing with it. Long live Star Wars Minis! It will be here long after Wizards of the Coast has faded to a distant memory.