Jeffrey Lunsford of Spud's Emporium of Comics and Games in Ottumwa, Iowa saw the news of the WizKids distribution of convention exclusives through Diamond/Alliance (see ' WizKids To Release Limited Edition Products to Retailers'), and believes these offerings might alienate previously dedicated players:
WizKids nowadays reminds me of what Casey Kasem always says on his show: 'And the hits just keep on coming.' The latest announcement on convention to retail exclusives is a double-edged sword with both rewards and perils for WizKids and us, the retailers.
On the one hand, players and collectors can now get the items that had been left to the realm of conventions and direct order only. This action will make a large number of people happy. It will also alienate a lot of players and collectors.
The reaction in my store is this: those who have attended the conventions, played in the tournaments and waited in lines for a chance to buy a limited edition figure are angry. The once hard-fought-for prize of their efforts has now been reduced to a common figure that anyone with the money can buy. The uniqueness is gone. The sense of community and belonging is gone. They have expressed their feelings of insult and slight by WizKids. They see this as an attempt to 'buy off' those stores that are not happy with the recent distribution announcement. So the core group of say, HeroClix players in my area that fall into this category have brought forward this point of contention. According to them, it's another nail in the coffin; time to move on to another friendlier game.
Of course, the newer player is happy. Not being able to travel to a convention is now no longer a limitation. So, who wins? The newer players at the expense of those once loyal and devoted to the game.
This move to me really smacks of the left hand moving in to distract the right. To take the heat off of, or diffuse the situation with another, different situation. Spin Control. Why do this now when it would have spread more good will years ago?
There are several retailers that are happy with this move. They also seem to be the retailers that have good relations with Alliance/Diamond and stand to benefit. I really think that this will just add to an already blazing fire. I'm just more worried about what WizKids' next move will be. There's a lot of rumors flying around the net from the Envoys becoming the Gestapo for WizKids to police the venues and ensure cooperation, to Topp's divesting themselves of the game segment if this attempt flops in the next six months. Who knows what to believe? Who will win and who will lose? My bet's on us, the retailers losing in the long run. But rest assured, with the music that WizKids is now facing at an all-time high, the hits will keep on coming.
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.
