Evil Hat Productions, best known as a publisher of role playing games, has announced plans to scale back production in the coming year.
In a blog post “Getting Too Big For Our Hat,” Fred Hicks discussed a recent financial review of the company, “The short version is that we’ve been publishing too many games that haven’t performed well enough to continue at our current pace and volume.” So, a total of a dozen projects will be postponed or cut in the immediate future. Head of Marketing Carrie Harris and Head of Business Development Chris Hanrahan are leaving the company at the end of October to focus on other opportunities. Senior Art Director Brian Patterson will be let go at the end of 2018.
“Ultimately, these changes are about regaining our footing and rebuilding our core strengths and finances to where we can return to our growth agenda in future years,” Hicks said. “The company that remains will be a company positioned to survive, and even thrive, in the ever-changing landscape of the tabletop game industry of 2020 and beyond.”
Asked if he had any additional comments for retailers, Hicks told ICv2, “Evil Hat’s relationship with retailers will remain strong through this transition, thanks to our established distribution channels. Our 2019 releases will continue to be released for sale in retail—we have no reason nor need to pull back from our practices and support there. They’re our allies after all!”