Bob Cosner of Bob's Baseball Cards, Comics & Gaming in Des Moines, Iowa saw the news of two new retailer exclusives on collectible card game launches (see 'Score's Epic Battles TCG' and 'Blockbuster Gets Dozens CCG First'), and sent his comments on the strategy:

Earlier Upper Deck released Shaman King at Blockbuster before hobby and gaming stores and it flopped!!  Topps to release The Dozens at Blockbuster before Hobby and gaming stores!!  And now Score's Epic Battles TCG to release at Blockbuster before hobby and gaming stores!!

What am I missing???  Did Blockbuster open a gaming room in their stores?  Do they host a release date gaming tournament to get people to play these games?  Do they host all night gaming nights so people can play these 3 games and meet other players?  Do they give out prizes to the people that play these games?  Are their staff members knowledgeable in how to play the games and can answer game-related questions? 

Or did Blockbuster just give the card companies millions of dollars to get the exclusive, sell the game for a while and go on to something else.  If this is the case, then the card companies make their profit on the exclusive fee and could care less if the game succeeds or not.  I will not support these games because they will die a quick death due to the distribution system at the games' genesis.

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