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12:06 am: Allan Sugarbaker says...
Games Quarterly sold, MSM shuts down

As we mentioned in a recent Audio Report episode, it was plainly apparent that Games Expo, the trade show produced by Matthews Simmons Marketing, came up short in achieving its goals. What we didn’t expect was Friday’s announcement (below) of MSM closing down and the sale of Games Quarterly Catalog to two individuals already associated with the publication. In the press release, Mark Simmons states “the closure was forced by mounting bad accounts receivable through the past eighteen months and recent losses due to the launch of Games Expo 2007.” In addition, Games Quarterly Magazine, a much smaller product, has been discontinued, and the future of National Games Week (which never seemed to take off out here near SF) is in question. We’ll have plenty more to say about the fall of MSM in an upcoming podcast.

Games Quarterly Catalog Company press release follows:

April 6, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Owners for Games Quarterly Catalog

Games Quarterly Catalog (GQC), the 16 year old standard reference for the games industry, is now under new ownership. The acquisition was completed today. The previous owner Matthews Simmons Martketing (MSM) sold the catalog to Richard Hartnett and Richard Martin Leep. Mr. Hartnett has been a Sales representative for Games Quarterly employee since the beginning of the year, and Mr. Leep is the former Senior Editor for MSM. They are, as of now, the exclusive representatives for Games Quarterly Catalog.

“I am pleased to see this vital publication continue, with two people who know the function of GQC so well, “stated previous owner Mark Simmons.

Games Quarterly Catalog lists product lines from over 500 game publishers, with an estimated 42,000 items. It is a comprehensive guide to family, hobby and educational non-electronic games. About 5,000 retail stores and distributors use GQC on a daily basis. The staff of GQC also voluntarily manages, for both the hobby and games trades, a standard manufacturer code system with over 4,400 manufacturers and publishers listed. Most distributors utilize the standard codes, to allow retailers to easily identify and order products from the wide range of companies.

Mr. Hartnett noted that the regular production schedule for GQC will remain as it has for the past several years with a one time delay of two weeks in order to facilitate this transition. This means the summer edition, GQC 63, will ship June 30. Updates and advertising placements have already begun. This edition includes a large quantity of new game and accessory releases for Summer.

Mr. Simmons further announced that MSM is closing after 16 years of service to the games industry. He noted the closure was forced by mounting bad accounts receivable through the past eighteen months and recent losses due to the launch of Games Expo 2007. Games Quarterly Magazine’s publication has ceased. National Games Week, according to Mr. Simmons, is a phenomenon that is likely to continue, with or without management. “However, stated Mr. Simmons, “who knows what the future will bring?”

Mr. Simmons has become the North American Agent for Shanghai China based MeiJia International, the top board and card game manufacturer in China. He also has taken a position as Marketing and Sales Director for Denver based Vibrant Solar, Inc, which installs solar panel arrays for homes and commercial buildings. Mr. Simmons can be reached at markmeijia@aol.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Regarding Games Quarterly Catalog Contact:

Games Quarterly Catalog Company
12568 Tammywood Street
Broomfield CO 80020

Richard Hartnett email: GamesQuarterly@ecentral.com phone: (303)437-3218 or

Richard Martin Leep email: GQCproduction@comcast.net
phone: (303) 817-1877