Now before we get in this I have to make a few confessions:
1) I used to produce products under Green Ronin's M&M Superlink license and the 1st edition of the Mutants and Mastermind game for a few years. During that time I was one of the most prolific publishers of M&M Superlink material (I had nearly 90 products for their line).
2) I came out and PUBLICLY told people that LPJ Design was NOT going to support 2nd Edition of Mutants and Mastermind and a little while later I was banned by Green Ronin from making any more M&M Superlink products. (I always thought I got banned was because the relationship between Green Ronin and Phil Reed's Ronin Arts PDF company. Phil and I were "enemies" back then and at each other throats making M&M Superlink products. 2002 - 2005 was like the Wild West in the PDF market. But who knows for real?)
3) In my opinion, the reason there was a need for a Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition is that Osseum Entertaiment had stolen all the money from Green Ronin's print run of the Mutant & Masterminds first edition print run. After three years of stealing, you can figure Osseum stole somewhere in the six figure dollar range from Green Ronin.
But now with this new announcement, Green Ronin is making ANOTHER edition of Mutants and Masterminds. Three editions in 8 years. Does that seem like a lot to you? (Funny thing is WOTC & Paizo kind of did the same thing with OGL 3.0 and 3.5 and Paizo's Pathfinder RPG but at least that was two different companies.) It seems to me that the only business model some of these companies that keep RE-RELEASING edition of their game is to get their "hardcore" fan base to keep buying the editions over and OVER again. How do you tell someone who supported you the first time you came out with the 1st edition of your product line and bought add-on products for it, and bought your second edition of your product line and bought add-on products for it, that you need them to buy a THIRD edition now?
While this is the basic business structure that video game companies use at least in their defense technology changes every few years (see Moore's Law) so for them there is a little understanding. But we are talking about niche products with a niche and shrinking fan base. And let's not even talk about price creep on the products. So here comes the question again: How many new editions can you make until people stop buying? Talk to you later...
/disclaimer I'ma proper Paizo fanboi ;D
ReplyDeleteIn Paizo's defence, they *only* released PFRPG because they couldn't continue what they were doing under 4th ED (in their opinion) and that left them with trying to get new people into a game that was out of print.....
Difficult position, and caused them a *lot* of problems.
I think once people are into your "brand" they stick with it...at least until they decide they no longer need/ use your product. Windows and Mac have been releasing updated versions forever.com(tm). Difference is people need to use computers daily in their office or at home. Plus, Anytime you buy a new computer, you get the latest operating system in it so it is sort forced obsolescence/ upgrade model.
ReplyDeleteRPG's (and Games Workshop)try a similar tactic by dumping support for a previous version of their game thus requiring you to "upgrade" in order to continue to use their new products. The difficult proposition for these companies is when someone has spent hundreds of dollars on the old system, and a new one releases...there is a question you force the consumer to consider: Is this worth my investment. When you force someone to stop and consider what they previously spent, and whether they want to do it all over again. Some will say no. Now you have to hope the new edition is so fabulous it at least brings in NEW players enough to fill the ranks of the departed.
If it were me? I'd do a swap out at conventions: bring me $100 MSRP of the old stuff in good condition, and I will give you the new one free.
Then I turn around and resell bundles of the old stuff at half off or possibly give them to charities as a tax write off. I migrate my core base into the new stuff overcoming their barrier to entry and keeping them my customer and whether I sell the old stuff or donate it for tax write off I have made my money back.
I consider M&M 2E to be the best d20 super game on the market. I will not be 'upgrading' to 3E. I will however take advantage of anyone selling off 2E books cheap.
ReplyDeleteI loved 3E D&D. I consider the 3.5 OGL to be the greatest gift ever given to the RPG hobby. I didn't make the switch to 4E and have no plans on ever giving WotC another dime.
I am tired however of new editions. My gaming dollar only goes so far. And buying the same game over and over again has gotten old.
Yeah... I consider this a "good opportunity" to do such a thing though, getting a huge high profile license like DC is worth a new version. If they hadn't done 2e when they had I think it would be totally OK.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I loved 1e and ran a campaign, and bought 2e when it came out, but was turned off by the additional rule bulk/complexity, it was more "Champions Lite" and as a result I didn't buy anything more for it. I didn't "hate" it, but I was like "I bought a lot of stuff for 1e, and I haven't used a lot of it yet, does it make sense for me to buy 2e versions of the same stuff especially given I don't have an active M&M campaign and I don't really like it better... No."
I hope they use this opportunity to recapture some of the 1e freewheeling simplicity while using what they've learned to incorporate the DC properties. I'm actually semi likely to buy 3e since I skipped all of 2e!