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Links: Ryan Laukat Does Double-Duty, Knizia on Trek & Hasbro's Center of Excellence for Games

Posted by W. Eric Martin
26 May 2011
W. Eric Martin
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• Dice Hate Me interviews Ryan Laukat about Empires of the Void, the first game from this artist for Dominion, Bridge Troll and other games.

• Derek Thompson at Meepletown interviews designer Reiner Knizia on Star Trek: Expeditions, spin-offs, licensed games, and more.

• Hasbro is creating a "Center of Excellence for Games" in Rhode Island. From the press release announcing this move:

Quote:
"Hasbro has the strongest portfolio of games brands in the industry and this is an important move to accelerate our re-imagination of games. However, it is always difficult to make changes that affect our people," said Brian Goldner, President and CEO. "We are committed to continuously re-inventing this business and growing it for the long term. This includes maintaining our leadership position in face-to-face board gaming, while also more effectively competing in the broader world of gaming across all platforms."

The Center of Excellence for Games will build on Hasbro's strategy of re-imagining, re-inventing and re-igniting its core brands. The group will identify key games brands for new play experiences and development, while focusing its efforts and workforce on initiatives across multiple platforms in both traditional and digital gaming.

(HT: Matthew Horn)

• A columnist for the (UK) Guardian riffs off her discovery of Alf Seegert's The Road to Canterbury to wonder which other literary classics should make the jump to board game. Interesting to see how well news of this game is travelling through non-gamey media outlets. Either Alf is doing a bang-up job of marketing this game or the subject has just the right amount of "Oh, really?" to make others want to write about it.
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Peter Varholak
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I wish to Hasbro that their "Centre of Excellence for Games" will bring to area of customer fulfilment of this company more value.

So far, my only experience with Hasbro was very negative: More then month after initial request for permittion, they were able just to restrict me to place on web rulebook translation of their game RISK: LotR TE. I consider it as pure and unsupportive to gamer's area behaviour.

So, again, good luck to your new excellence centre, Hasbro!
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 9:26 am
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Colorcrayons
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You would think with as many companies as Hasbro has absorbed that it would have a great catalog already rife for reprinting without the need to create what basically amounts to an entirely new R&D facility.


Image from Shannon Appelcline's article

And that chart doesn't even include the absorption of other notable game companies such as Waddingtons, etc.

The future of gaming indeed.
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 10:45 am
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Harvey O'Brien
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How any organisation or business can use the word 'excellence' with a straight face after The Simpsons episode in which Homer is given the bogus award for 'Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence', I just don't know (and I work for one that does).
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 11:52 am
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Kevin Rutherford
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How many times can they re-imagine Monopoly, Scrabble, Sorry!, etc. ?
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 1:26 pm
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Tim Myers
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kevruth wrote:
How many times can they re-imagine Monopoly, Scrabble, Sorry!, etc. ?

That is what the new "Centre of Excellence for Games" is for. laugh
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 1:38 pm
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Jody Morgan
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kevruth wrote:
How many times can they re-imagine Monopoly, Scrabble, Sorry!, etc. ?

You don't want to know. But I guess we're going to find out.
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 1:43 pm
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Adam 314
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The name "The Center of Excellence for Games" instantly reminded me of the "Derek Zoolander Center For Children Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too".
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 2:50 pm
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Jeremiah Dwyer
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Pseudacris wrote:
The name "The Center of Excellence for Games" instantly reminded me of the "Derek Zoolander Center For Children Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too".


"Are these boardgames for ants? The meeples need to be at least...three times bigger."
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 4:13 pm
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Is there any relationship between what Hasbro does robotand the hobby of modern board gaming? I've always assumed "no" but I, now and again, suspect the answer is more complicated.
Also, I'm sure Hasbro is aware of designer board games (besides MTG). I wonder how they regard them.
 
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  • Edited Thu May 26, 2011 6:20 pm
  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 6:15 pm
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bunnycatch3r wrote:
Also, I'm sure Hasbro is aware of designer board games (besides MTG). I wonder how they regard them.


It's hard to talk of Hasbro as a single entity because the company consists of designers who know all about modern strategy games, designers who don't, executives who talk about the "strongest portfolio of games brands in the industry" as if people play brands instead of games (although admittedly many do), temps who know a little about recent games but have no control over what's published (such as one person I shared a table at during a wedding this past weekend), and so on.

From talks on background, I'll say that Hasbro is in a tough spot relative to modern strategy games because even if the company wanted to publish them, doing so would go counter against what retailers expect from the company. If Hasbro is rolling out a new game for Q4 and the holiday season, retailers expect it to be advertised on TV far and wide, which costs a ton of money, which means Hasbro needs to sell tens of thousands of games – if not hundreds of thousands – to break even, which means it can't diddle around with most of the games that BGGers love because those games typically sell a few thousand copies.
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 6:50 pm
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W Eric Martin wrote:

From talks on background, I'll say that Hasbro is in a tough spot relative to modern strategy games because even if the company wanted to publish them, doing so would go counter against what retailers expect from the company. If Hasbro is rolling out a new game for Q4 and the holiday season, retailers expect it to be advertised on TV far and wide, which costs a ton of money, which means Hasbro needs to sell tens of thousands of games – if not hundreds of thousands – to break even, which means it can't diddle around with most of the games that BGGers love because those games typically sell a few thousand copies.


I would argue that is largely based on exposure as well. If a game received a comparable level of advertising it would likely sell at that level as well. Would it fair better in terms of retailer confidence if it had "transformers" or "thor" or some other cartoon/movie tie-in? sure, probably. Damn you, American consumer.

But as a counterpoint, games like connect four, battleship, and sorry! were once new games to the market and then became recognizable over time. Certainly, with Hasbro's advertising power, these games could saturate at a quicker rate than 20 years ago.

Just looking at the releases of educational insight and mayfair games in book stores and targets across the board, making something a household name is perhaps a bit easier these days if someone had the vision to push modern boardgaming titles.
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 7:36 pm
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hob69 wrote:
How any organisation or business can use the word 'excellence' with a straight face after The Simpsons episode in which Homer is given the bogus award for 'Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence', I just don't know (and I work for one that does).


Hasbro in the US is the 'Inanimate Carbon Rod' of board games. It's bought itself into becoming a large company without actually doing anything interesting. They are a consumer board game company. I'm sure it will reinvent or reimagine new themes for Monopoly...Let's be honest...Hasbro (US) is not marketing their games to us, and why would they? Designer board game players in the US are only a small faction in the larger group of board game customers.
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  • Posted Thu May 26, 2011 7:45 pm
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geesh - i assumed this "Center of Excellence" meant they would have some way of interacting with their customer. But it is just putting a name to their normal way of business:

Absorb the competition.

Put out titles using thier cash cows.



Can't knock their busines though. They are really making a very clever business when they keep putting out new stuff with old names. Like the latest Sorry racing game where you have the extra goal of not landing on opponents spaces. Great use of the proven concepts out there
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  • Posted Fri May 27, 2011 4:34 am
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The press release fails to mention that they laid off half of their existing staff on Wednesday. Nor does it say that the survivors were not offered any kind of paid relocation.

Maybe it's just me but I'm not feeling anything thing "excellent" about Hasbro.

A lot of good people are pout of a job because of a Rhode Island tax break.
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  • Posted Fri May 27, 2011 11:54 am
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hahnarama wrote:
The press release fails to mention that they laid off half of their existing staff on Wednesday. Nor does it say that the survivors were not offered any kind of paid relocation.

Maybe it's just me but I'm not feeling anything thing "excellent" about Hasbro.

A lot of good people are pout of a job because of a Rhode Island tax break.


Actually this paragraph from the press release comes after the two I quoted in the news item:

Quote:
Hasbro expects to relocate approximately 70 employees with a reduction in force of approximately 75 by the end of the year. The impacted employees will be offered a severance package, benefits continuation and outplacement services. Hasbro factory and certain corporate service employees will not be affected by this move.

So the job losses were mentioned – not that the notice deserves a kudos or anything...
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  • Posted Fri May 27, 2011 2:24 pm
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John Oaks
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It's like Broadway. There are great shows that get produced all over the world that nobody ever sees because Broadway makes money off of revivals and 50 year runs of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. These are the tickets that the general public buys, like it or not. Whose fault is it? I could get on a soapbox, but it's a combination of cuts in funding for art education and the subsequent dumbing down of an entire generation and people in power who only care about the bottom line. This is true in the gaming industry as well. Hasbro naturally prints 50 versions of Monopoly every year because the general public buys them. That's why we true gamers must educate our friends and relatives. Next time we have a board game party, let's invite people who don't normally come to game parties. You may spend a lot more time teaching than strategizing the first few times, but it will pay off in the long run. I converted an entire church staff in Greenville, Illinois to the world of strategy board gaming and none of them will ever play Monopoly or Risk again. Last time I visited their town, they pulled out Puerto Rico, Catan and Ticket To Ride. It's a very good sign! And for the record, I also agree that Excellence in Gaming isn't the first phrase that pops into my head when I think, "Hasbro." Actually, the first phrase I thought of was "Hasbro...gaming for me to poop on."
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  • Edited Sat May 28, 2011 11:55 pm
  • Posted Sat May 28, 2011 11:54 pm
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Hasbro. Producing mindless games since 1923.

Oh. Sorry. Mindless games... of excellence. Almost forgot that bit.

I have to agree with kevruth. Someone needs to beat the terms "new" and "interesting" into someone's head at Hasbro.
 
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  • Posted Sun May 29, 2011 12:38 am
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Hasbro serves a fulfilling purpose. Just think of how uninteresting the movie Star Wars would have been without the Empire.
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  • Posted Sun May 29, 2011 1:51 am
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Maybe Hasbro makes excellent games. Just the same ones they always made. They sure know how to apply an excellent lipstick treatment on their usual pigs.
 
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  • Posted Sun May 29, 2011 2:08 pm
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Holy cow, but people make me laugh! For better or worse, these are the games that Hasbro, as a producer, partner, or parent company is currently or was last responsible for bringing to gaming tables:

Acquire
Axis & Allies, ad infinitum
BattleBall
BattleCry (and 150th Anniversary Edition)
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Clue, ad infinitum
Dark Tower
Diplomacy
DragonMaster
Dream Factory
Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon
Fortress America
HeroQuest
Heroscape and boosters
History of the World
Monsters Menace America
Nexus Ops
The Omega Virus
Rheinlander
Risk, ad infinitum
Roborally
Shogun/Samurai Swords
Space Crusade
Star Wars: Epic Duels
Star Wars: Queen's Gambit
Star Wars: Episode 1; Clash of the Lightsabers
Thunder Road
Vegas Showdown

In my opinion, every one of these is a solid title. (Even if I don't care for a few particular titles, I recognize that they have genuine virtues and merit as games.) I think this is only a partial list. Folks could probably name many more.

I remember when many of these games were summarily dismissed upon arrival simply because Hasbro made it. A year or so later, as people picked up the game on clearance, they were singing different tunes about what sterling little gems they were—and are

If people don't like Hasbro, fine. But no one who enjoys games can deny that they have—and continue—to put out great games that people enjoy.
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  • Posted Sun May 29, 2011 11:12 pm
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treece keenes wrote:
Can't knock their busines though. They are really making a very clever business when they keep putting out new stuff with old names. Like the latest Sorry racing game where you have the extra goal of not landing on opponents spaces. Great use of the proven concepts out there


Surely you're not referring to my latest impulse purchase, the awesome new Sorry! Sliders: Cars 2 World Grand Prix - effectively a mass-market version of PitchCar? surprise That game is a beacon of hope for the future of licensed games out of Hasbro

Here's hoping that Craig Van Ness gets made Grand High Poobah of this new center
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  • Edited Mon May 30, 2011 5:27 am
  • Posted Mon May 30, 2011 5:24 am
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BradyLS wrote:
Holy cow, but people make me laugh! For better or worse, these are the games that Hasbro, as a producer, partner, or parent company is currently or was last responsible for bringing to gaming tables:

Acquire
Axis & Allies, ad infinitum
BattleBall
BattleCry (and 150th Anniversary Edition)
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Clue, ad infinitum
Dark Tower
Diplomacy
DragonMaster
Dream Factory
Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon
Fortress America
HeroQuest
Heroscape and boosters
History of the World
Monsters Menace America
Nexus Ops
The Omega Virus
Rheinlander
Risk, ad infinitum
Roborally
Shogun/Samurai Swords
Space Crusade
Star Wars: Epic Duels
Star Wars: Queen's Gambit
Star Wars: Episode 1; Clash of the Lightsabers
Thunder Road
Vegas Showdown

In my opinion, every one of these is a solid title. (Even if I don't care for a few particular titles, I recognize that they have genuine virtues and merit as games.) I think this is only a partial list. Folks could probably name many more.

I remember when many of these games were summarily dismissed upon arrival simply because Hasbro made it. A year or so later, as people picked up the game on clearance, they were singing different tunes about what sterling little gems they were—and are

If people don't like Hasbro, fine. But no one who enjoys games can deny that they have—and continue—to put out great games that people enjoy.


About half of the games you list somebody else "brought to the gaming table", and Hasbro only reprinted, after gobbling up the owning company.

Which is only a fraction of the good games they bought up, when considering Avalon Hill's inventory - an inventory, I should add, ninety percent of which remains without reprint.

It is the intent demonstrated by Hasbro's actions that upsets people on this web site - an intent to consume other gaming companies, and then summarily dismiss the majority of their intellectual property as not meriting reprint, because it won't sell enough copies to satisfy Hasbro.

If, instead, Hasbro had used some of their considerable financial resources to help fuel the visions of those companies (rather than simply turn them into a brand they can stamp on some of their boxes), it would be a completely different story.
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  • Posted Tue May 31, 2011 12:46 pm
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I believe there was a typo in the article. Surely that was meant to read "Hasbro is creating a 'Center of Excrement for Games' in Rhode Island"
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  • Posted Tue May 31, 2011 8:46 pm
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One good thing about Hasbro's tactics is that it's created a lively market for small independent game publishers to fill. We're at a point where a couple of guys with a great idea can start up a company and be met with an enthusiastic community of buyers. If Hasbro filled the demand for these creative new games, maybe there wouldn't be room for all of these great small gaming companies I've come to love, like Plaid Hat games, Small Box Games, etc...

I'm just trying to find the silver lining here.

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  • Posted Wed Jun 1, 2011 8:06 pm
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lord_foul wrote:
I believe there was a typo in the article. Surely that was meant to read "Hasbro is creating a 'Center of Excrement for Games' in Rhode Island"


Ah another class act has joined our ranks.
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  • Posted Thu Jun 2, 2011 12:04 pm
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I had some dealings with them in the past...they were very inflexible, so I backed out.
 
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  • Posted Sat Dec 3, 2011 6:01 pm
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