Mark Amoroso of Blackthorn Game Center in Dickson, Tennessee has been following the discussion on competition for brick and mortar game stores (for example, see 'Daniel Yarrington of Myriad Games on Supporting Core Hobby Stores'), and sent us this comment on a company he feels is supporting the hobby channel:

Many gaming retailers have been voicing their concerns over pricing competition from various non-core hobby outlets.  I believe we need to show our support to game companies that are working to build our businesses and are not pushing their product to be sold by discounters or mass-market.

One of the companies that has been working to support us and build the hobby industry is Sabertooth, the publisher of the awesome UFS card game.  This game is growing by leaps and bounds; the turnout for the events at GenCon surpassed last year's attendance and exceeded expectations.

Initially, I was hesitant to carry UFS in our store.  I felt the market was already loaded with card games and I didn't need another one clogging my shelves.  However, when my rep at Sabertooth, Johnathan Ledezma, contacted me and offered to send me demo decks, posters, and play mats if I would simply try the game, I felt an offer like this would be pretty foolish to refuse.  When the decks arrived I was really impressed with the art and felt the character recognition (from the various videogames) would probably help sell UFS.  I let some of the guys in our game room try out the game... it was an instant hit.

As I said, the characters are well known.  You have Street Fighter, Soulcalibur III, King of Fighters, Samurai Showdown, and soon we'll have Darkstalkers.  These are all huge videogame hits among the customer base hobby stores already sell to.  Therefore, this game is a natural.

Sabertooth has an incredible league program, a very format-flexible and imaginative tournament environment, and a card-of-week/month program.  Most importantly, they have a dedicated staff that is readily available to answer rules questions, sales questions, or help you set up and promote your events.

If you haven't tried the UFS game, give Sabertooth a call.  Request a demo deck and get UFS rolling in your store. Sabertooth is producing a fantastic game that is designed to drive players into your store and since the product is not being sold to non-core venues, you won't be losing sales to someone else.

The opinions expressed in this Talk Back article are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.