WizKids has scaled back its non-game publishing plans for 2004, and plans to focus on fiction.  The company announced its new publishing division in July 2003, along with its plans to publish children's books, comics, larger format illustrated books, and to create novels for distribution through book publishing partners (see 'WizKids Forms Publishing Division'). 

 

WizKids is releasing Technology of Destruction, the coffee table book originally planned for October, next month, along with the next Mechwarrior novel, Fortress of Lies.   The publishing rights to Girl Genius, the Phil Foglio comic title WizKids acquired last year, have been returned to the creator; no comics were ever released by WizKids.  No children's books are currently scheduled.

 

One publishing division position was eliminated as part of WizKids' layoffs in October (see 'WizKids Cuts Staff').  No further cuts are currently contemplated, according to WizKids Director of Marketing Jennifer Berg.

 

In response to questions, Berg explained the changes in the company's publishing plans.  'WizKids Publishing initially proposed a very ambitious schedule for 2003-2004,' she said, 'and spent substantial effort getting many of those projects underway.  Even before the end of 2003, however, it was clear we didn't have the necessary resources to support everything we planned to release.  In order to ensure that the product coming out of the Publishing Division maintains the same high standard WizKids applies to all its products, we chose to scale back and focus mainly on novels for the immediate future.'