If you haven't seen it yet, and you're interested in GURPS in specific or SJG games in general, check it out:
SJG 2012 Report to the Stakeholders
Short version: Ogre took over SJG, more Munchkin, GURPS Zombies.
Please read it for the longer version. I for one would love more GURPS support, but Munchkin sells like crazy (including to me), and I am eagerly awaiting the giant OGRE box and wondering if I can't fit my painted Ogre minis into the boardgame somehow. I'll try, anyway.
The link doesn't work (for me?). Do you mean this? http://www.sjgames.com/general/stakeholders/
ReplyDeleteI fixed it, not sure why it didn't work.
DeleteWhat is most interesting to me is the top 40 by revenue list. There is exactly ONE GURPS title in that list...ONLY ONE and its at #32 out of 40!
ReplyDeleteGiven the time effort and resources that go into the GURPS line, I have to wonder if SJG isn't considering scaling back support for the game even further?
I hope they don't. It's not a top-priority item anyway that I can tell, and dropping its priority further wouldn't improve things. I hope after the Ogre gets out of the way more resources can go to getting things in the pipeline out the door, which should improve the sales a bit.
DeleteMy take on the situation, for the past few years, has been that Steve-O and co. will continue to provide some support for GURPS, but that the consensus among company bigwigs (including Sean P.) is that tabletop RPGs are a dying breed. It seems like they're fine with the occasional new GURPS customer, but that they're not interested in more actively promoting the game either to rpg newbies (who might be into Munchkin) or to those who are active gamers already, but involved with Pathfinder/D&D, etc. Cynicism perhaps? Just good marketing sense? Meanwhile, Steve J. did announce (in the April 4 Daily Illuminator) that Munchkin has made him enough money that he's interested in acquiring smaller gaming companies. While this makes perfect sense from perspective of a gaming company that produces a bunch of different games (and one that wants to continue its successful ways), it did make me wonder if the GURPS customer base will see a similar statement of intended support (e.g. "We're going to plow some money into marketing GURPS to new players" or something/anything like that). Clearly, there is some money at SJG that's looking for something to be spent on. How much (if any) will be used to shore up, continue, or grow GURPS?
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I'm waiting to see what GURPS project is waiting on Steve's involvement. That's one reason for the sluggishness in the GURPS pipeline, according to the report.
DeleteIf it's GURPS SURVIVORS, will that count as a sign of the/an apocalypse?
DeleteTechnically, it would be a sign that we're past the apocalypse.
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