Atari (née Infogrames, née Hasbro Interactive) has co-announced with Wizards a massively multiplayer online game called, hold your breath for this one, Dungeons & Dragons Online. Hey, because there’s hardly any competition in the Tolkienesque-online-fantasy-world space. They plan to ship in two years, just like Master Tools (cough). To be
Category: Industry
Player’s Handbook spotted on TV
Yes, your eyes are fine; they weren’t deceiving you while watching West Wing earlier tonight. In this GE commercial, you did indeed see the D&D Player’s Handbook prominently displayed. And this time, the nerd gets the supermodel, too. You know what they say: the bigger the dice bag…
More Action! in OGL
Gold Rush Games announced today that it has released Action! System Core Rules version 1.1 under the Open Game License. Now folks who want to release products under the OGL have an alternative to the D20 System. Gold Rush also announced the official Action! System Trademark License, allowing those who
Columbia Games selling direct only
“After 30+ years, we have concluded that our products can best be sold directly. To improve product output and customer service, all Columbia Games products will henceforth be sold ONLY by mail order, telephone, or via www.columbiagames.com.” This is the kind of shakeup I was talking about when Games Workshop
Hasbro might not be (as) screwed
Hasbro Posts Earnings of Penny Per Share, healthily beating analysts’ prediction of a 6-cent loss. Hasbro CEO Alan Hassenfeld says these results are “gratifying when considering many factors that could have worked against us, including […] the substantial reductions in Star Wars revenue”. Maybe the Star Wars RPG and TCG
First casualty of GW’s new Internet scorched-earth policy
“Hobby Workshop will cease to exist at the end of the month.” We-hell now!
HeroClix and WizKids get GEMs
WizKids and HeroClix got some recognition this week from Diamond, the big boys of comic book distribution. The GEM Awards, which are voted on by retail store owners, named WizKids 2002 Game Publisher of the Year, and HeroClix 2002 Game Product of the Year by the GEM Awards. What does
Yes, GW appears to actually be cutting off online retailers
A retailer reports on the call he got from a Games Workshop VP. He brings up at the end of his post the fact that there really isn’t that much legal precedent for this. But leaving that aside for a second, suppose the cascade effect he also predicts takes place.
GW nixes all online sales?
GR has gotten some anonymous tips that Games Workshop will be pulling their products from anyone who sells online, even if they have real-world retail stores as well, as of July 15. GW would probably pull their products from anyone who isn’t them if they thought they could get away
Steel yourselves
Gaaaahhh!!
Games Unplugged formally gives up any remaining claim of independence
Here’s the release on GamingReport, nothing’s up yet on the mag’s site or at FFE. Funny part is, GU’s content has all been written by various publishers’ marketing departments for so long that this may actually improve the content. I think we can say with confidence now that the net
James Ernest steals Origins Awards trophies from foundry, speeds away in Ferrari stolen from Peter Adkison
April Fools postings are hella lame.
Hey, you can vote now and stuff
Voting is now open for the 2002 Origins Awards.
Green Ronin GTS recap
Green Ronin had to wait quite a while to make their presentation at GTS, being part of the Tuesday night dinner that included Wizard Entertainment, the Origins Awards nominations, and Games Workshop. But once Chris Pramas was finally able to take the podium, the GR gospel was spread. Some copies
WotC makes weird-ass DVD solo adventure
At their GTS presentation for D&D 3.5, WotC announced Scourge of Worlds, a computer-animated DVD set in Greyhawk. Viewers will use DVD menus to choose the path of the story at 20 different points, leading to one of four endings. It streets on June 10th. “We took some pictures as