Tertius wrote:
Kyrt: I don't see why GW would license Epic to someone else. If they did, that manufacturer would continue a steady, but slow trickle of models for a small, but stalwart fan base. If GW stops production altogether, they can do what I refer to as the "Disney vault" trick. Disney releases its films on video only once every few years, then they go "back into the vault," creating a forced rarity and, demand. This way, they create a market for their products to be re-released. GW are in the IP business, just like Disney. They have to re-sell the same stuff every few years. If Epic goes away, sure, a few smaller groups will try and fill the void with proxies, etc., but the won't be GW. Then, in a few years, GW can start all over again with much of the same IP, and make money. I think they are doing exactly the right thing .... for GW. Is it good for your average TacComm member? No. But we are not the target audience. We are already hooked.
It's possible. They have certainly shown themselves to be quite logical in their approach so far, as I've said before. But in this instance I think you score them too highly on the deviousness scale. I've no doubt they prefer to give themselves the option of releasing Epic as a game system at some point in the future, but I don't think they actually have any kind of long term plans to do so. It just doesn't seem to be consistent with the noises that have been coming out. But we have very little to go on really, so you could be right.
The reason I say I think they're making a mistake with the licensing is simply because I think the problems with Epic have been the up front costs, excessive risk, and low returns. Licensing it out externalises most of that risk, replacing it with an income stream without competing for internal resources. This is all assuming they don't have plans to re-release in the short to medium term, of course. I suppose that, to them, losing some control over their brand in a way that is linked to their core products is an unacceptable risk (i.e. bad models get made, it reflects on GW), whereas I think it can be mitigated by clearly separating the systems and quality-wise is a realistic option these days. Everybody knows that THQ, Fantasy Flight and Games Workshop are all different companies, and they produce good products.
I do have a heart you know...
