Toys ‘R’ Us sold to investment group, likely to be dismantled

Those who fret that hobby gaming companies’ only mainstreaming option will soon be Walmart have new reason to worry: the Toys ‘R’ Us chain has been sold for $6 billion to a consortium that includes major real estate investors. “[A]nalysts estimated that TRU’s real estate value is five times greater than the value of its toy business.” D’oh. Sorry, Eagle/Uberplay and Days of Wonder – looks like those inroads you made at TRU in the last couple years are about to be writeoffs. WotC and WizKids already have relationships with Walmart and the like, but such large deals have been known to leave smaller companies as smoldering husks on the business landscape. All the more reason to support your local hobby-gaming retailer (and, um, support their efforts to draw in new customers).