Tons o' Money Again

[Abe Sargent]

I think that I may have finally figured out what I'd do with a bunch of money. I'd combine and consolidate several gaming outlets to become one major company. Hasbro, for examples, has two gaming companies as subsidiaries that I'd like to relieve them of:

Wizards of the Coast (Magic: the Gathering, D&D)

Avalon Hill (Makers of some of the best board games ever like Axis and Allies and Diplomacy)


A third subsidiary, Hasbro Interactive, was recently acquired by Atari, (the old Infogrames), and would be my computer games division. I'd buy out Atari (a.k.a. Infogrames, Microprose) and make them my computer division.

So, you have card games, role playing games, board games, and computer games. What else?

I want Iron Crown Enterprises, a small company out of Alexandria, Virginia that has gone bankrupt once already, plus they lost their Tolkien license, their bread and butter of the 1990's. They make quality role-playing games and products, and I'd add their lines to the WoTC ones.

I would have wanted to acquire FASA five years ago, but they let their creative talent leave and start their own company, WizKids, which goes on to purchase the BattleTech/MechWarrior material from FASA. WizKids in behind MageKnight, HeroClix, and MechWarrior and has revolutionized the way war games are played. Therefore, I'd want a creative, innovative group of people to run the wargames division.

On the computer game front, Atari releases a very specific type of game. I'd want some smaller computer divisions that will also release fun and exciting games. Meet Strategy First!, a company that puts out quality computer games.

I'm not sure if I want to add a European company to my list. But if I do, then I like Games Workshop. They have a amazing line of product in Warhammer and Warhammer 40k, but they make some amazingly stupid business decisions at times. Still, I like the product line, the support for it, and the overal quality of work that they do at GW.

Anyway, these are the companies that I would purchase and consolidate and streamline if I were to come across a windfall of money.

Making games. Beats owning a sports franchise...

Maybe.

-Anxiety

[Bee]

Sounds like a great plan...I guess the only thing you're missing is the money...

[Bonegavel]

Funny you mention this sort of thing. In the last few months, I've delved into MechWarrior Dark Age from Wizkids and am having a blast with it. And, I'm on the verge of entering the Warhammer (fantasy) realm. It sucks that the WH packs are so expensive.

In addition, I am co-creator of an up-and-coming RPG that is to hit the market in '04. The Welsh Piper So, if you come into money, you can help out our small group.

[WSUCougar]

When I win the lottery I'll throw my lot in with you, Anxiety. My additions would be wargame companies GMT and The Gamers, and perhaps Shrapnel and Matrix computer wargame companies.

I had to chuckle when you mentioned Avalon Hill and Axis and Allies in the same breath. I broke my teeth on Avalon Hill wargames back in the 1970s (yeah, I'm old, piss off), and will always remember Axis and Allies as a MB game.

Anyway, cool idea.