Mutant Chronicles CMG no longer random

The crunch collectible card games are continuing to feel may have contributed to Fantasy Flight’s recent decision to make its Mutant Chronicles CMG non-random. Having already changed their significant CCG lines to “living card games” (read: non-random sets), making the same sort of move for Mutant Chronicles could be an excellent preemptive move for FFG to avoid becoming part of the seemingly-inevitable CMG crunch – which some say is already upon us. Makes me wonder if the supposed “packaging problems” the company had just after GTS were really problems, or a product launch being thrown into a sharp turn before heading down a new path. (FFG announcement copied below)

Fantasy Flight press release follows:

Fantasy Flight Games to retool Mutant Chronicles CMG release to non-random format.

Roseville, MN (June 27, 2008) – Fantasy Flight Games has announced that they will release all product in the Mutant Chronicles Collectible Miniatures Game in a non-random window-box format and will be reassembling the entire production run of booster packs in their warehouse over the next few weeks. Fantasy Flight Games expects that first wave of these SKUs will start shipping to the trade at the end of July, with product appearing in retail stores around the first week of August. The initial set of the Mutant Chronicles CMG will turn into 14 different SKUs, released over about 10-12 weeks, each containing between 3 to 4 figures with a SRP of $19.95.

“Over the last few months, we have talked to over one thousand retailers all around the world, as well as players, distributors and our international partners, and the message is clear,” said Jeremy Stomberg, lead public relations associate for Fantasy Flight Games. “People love the Mutant Chronicles CMG game mechanics and setting. What they don’t love is the blind-purchase format, so we’re taking a dramatic step to address that concern.

“In conversations with all levels of the games industry, we have found that more and more people have concerns about the future viability of the blind-purchase format,” Stomberg continued. “Based on these concerns, as well as recent industry trends, FFG came to a decision that we believe will be in the best interests of this great game, the trade, and the player base!

“Fortunately, we have the infrastructure in place to make sure that this massive retooling undertaking will be as quick and painless as possible,” Stomberg said. “New packaging is in the process of being printed and shipped to our headquarters, where it will be assembled and shipped to the trade as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of July.”

“Although this retooling may seem sudden,” noted Christian T. Petersen, CEO of Fantasy Flight Games, “it is actually something that we have considered for a long while, and is consistent with the efforts that FFG is making with our LCG (Living Card Game) initiative, where we’re moving from blind-purchase to fixed-pack merchandising with some of our card games.”

After the initial release, FFG will continue with the previously announced plans of regular fixed-format releases on a monthly basis. For more information, visit the Fantasy Flight Games website at http://www.fantasyflightgames.com.