RIP WizKids Games

The shit ass economy claims another victim, and this one will hit close to home for a lot of geeks. Topps announced that “WizKids will immediately cease operations and discontinue its product lines.“

Allow me to be the first to say (on this blog, anyway) well, shit.

WizKids Games is an awesome company. They’re best known for their Heroclix and Horrorclix games, but my personal favorite is their Pirates game. Pirates packs an entire game into something the size of a pack of trading cards, including Dinky Dungeons-esque dice. It’s really fun to play, and scales well with gamers of varying experience levels.

HeroClix and HorrorClix are really fun tabletop minis games that take all the bookkeeping and stats of a wargame and put them right into the base of the figures. I got Nolan into 40K via HeroClix when he was in 6th or 7th grade, and I’ve heard similar tales from countless other Geekdads. As I write this, a HorrorClix Great Cthulhu sits on top of the bookcase behind me, keeping watch over everything I do, ready to devour me if I ever slack off.

I don’t know anything about the business behind this decision, but I wonder if this has more to do with Topps consolidating and returning a focus to trading cards, instead of WizKids’ games not selling well or enjoying popularity among gamers. In fact, I kind of hope that’s the case. According to GeekDad, “Topps will immediately pursue strategic alternatives so that viable brands and properties, including HeroClix, can continue without noticeable disruption.” Hopefully, gamers won’t experience much of a disruption, but I’m sure the people who work at WizKids and lost their jobs will notice one, and that sucks. I’ve been lucky enough to meet several WizKids employees, and they’re all great people.

I hope that WizKids will find a way to stay together and keep putting out their unique games, not only because they’re fun on their own, but because they are perfect entry points for GamerDads like me, who have a vested interest in creating the capital-G Gamers of tomorrow.

I Propelled this story earlier today. If you’re a propeller member, would you Prop it for me?

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22 thoughts on “RIP WizKids Games”

  1. That figures. I finally found a table top game that I liked (Horrorclix) and the creator’s gone out of business. Then again, they’ve been talking about not producing any more Horrorclix for a while, ever since the Freakshow expansion failed so miserably. At least I got my Freddy and Alien figures..

  2. Damn, that sucks. I started playing WizKids games way back with Mage Knight (the Whirlwind expansion just came out), and also played some MechWarrior when it came out.
    For me, two things killed my interest in the games:
    First, they decided to come out with a 2.0 version of the games, effectively confusing a bunch of people with the new rules.
    Second (and most egregious) was we were promised that they wouldn’t behave like WotC, namely that they would not retire pieces. But when they came out with the 2.0 games, they added a retirement cycle; this broke the major promise that got me into Mage Knight.
    I have a few other minor gripes (like never getting my Duncan the Red mail-in figure), but those are the big two.

  3. NOOOOOOO!!!!
    FASA going under was horrible… Battletech was an awesome table top… then WizKids took it over and even revamped it… I didn’t get to try out the new version but this news is a sad one…
    Damn you recession, I want to find you and punch you in the nads…

  5. Yes, very sad. Unrelated to post: you sure seem internet active today. Twitterin’ like crazy. Does this have anything to do with your Xbox bein’ down? Hmm..

  6. A month ago we went looking for a new game because our beloved Dungeons and Dragons Miniatures was effectively cancelled by Wizards of the Coast.
    Our first batch of Heroclix was ordered last week and should arrive tomorrow.
    *sigh*

  8. Let’s take a realistic look at this.
    They failed because
    1. It was a BLIND purchase CMG. (Mommy and Daddy are only willing to shell out so much $$$ to get that one missing figure little Jimmy needs)
    2. In resent years the quality of the minis has gone to hell
    3. the system SUCKS. Maybe that’s too strong of word but it wasn’t the best out there for intro minis. HeroScape is a MUCH better gateway game.
    I think people are fed up with shelling out big buck$ to get a complete set of minis. Mutant Chronicles just went from a CMG to non blind purchase and it’s still not selling. WoW minis just game out and the Rares are going for $50 already. I think the average gamer has had enough.
    Just my $.02

  10. Always sad when the current tough times have a direct effect on the things we love most 🙁
    On an only sort of related note, I totally have a horrorclix Cthulhu also! I won him last PAX for the whole “pitch your game” panel thingy…

  12. I showed this entry to my Fiance and he is now moping in the dining room saying “…dammit” every few seconds. I’m pretty sure he’ll cheer up tomorrow when his WoW Expansion thingie gets delivered.

  14. What will be even more interesting is its effect on GenCon and the exhibitor hall. The Hero/Halo/Horror Clix exhibit has always been a significant area and a huge hit. With GenCon struggling in the past, it is sad to see one of its supporters go down the tubes.

  15. Bummer; two of Jordan’s companies are no more. ;_;
    Dude, you’re a creative genius, but you REALLY need to hire on someone as an administrator that can keep a business alive! 🙁
    Well, may most of the WK employees secure employment soon, and may Mr.Weisman’s ‘third time be a charm’… *hope-hope*

  16. I’ve been so out of it this past week that I finally figured out who WK is. The makers of our daughter’s introduction to RPGs – Pirates of the Frozen North (because we love pirates and Vikings equally). Fuck.
    So…anybody got any recommendations for a 7-year-old budding RPGer?

  17. Wil (and everyone else viewing),
    there is currently a highly motivated group of individuals working on saving HeroClix. Jake Theis, who until this past Monday was Brand manager of HeroClix, is organizing a brand new company to try and acquire the Wizkids assets (namely HeroClix) from Topps.
    Jake is chronicling his efforts at http://saveheroclix.wordpress.com/ and a very energized fan driven support and logistic group is organizing at the Save HeroClix group on Facebook.

  18. Wil,
    Did you know that James Ernest designed “Pirates”? WizKids didn’t exactly feature his name in the packaging (oh well, at least they sent checks).
    It sounds like Topps will be trying to find homes for the viable stuff, so maybe it’s not all over.

  19. You know what I would like? Just ONCE? A god damn straight answer form the corporate fucks. If I had a nickel for every game I started to collect a game when rumblings of discontinuation start and you ask your envoy or go on a forum and all of the officials “swear” the game is still going strong. In fact the next four sets are already in the works. A month later… “sorry, we regret to announce…” BULLSHIT! You guys… ALL YOU GUYS just want my very last $4 or $12 or $20 bucks for your crap. Even though you know FULL WELL you shitty company is going under. I’m sorry! How can you have licenses like Star Wars, Halo, Marvel & DC and still fuck it up? I’ll tell you how! When I was playing a game of Mechwarrior and a player pulled out a pilot card with that asshole Kelly Whatever The Hell Her Name Is face on the frickin’ card. These fat heads actually thought it exemptible to put their own faces on pilot cards but not enough to actually SUPPORT the game. And how about creating a game one could actually commit the rules to memory. No. that would be to much to ask for. We’re just the slubs who buy your shit. YOU FUCKS!!!

  22. Wil,
    I still wish you could have joined the playtest program. 🙂
    BUT! I’d rather get the books from you than feedback.
    Though I haven’t worked there in a long time, I’m very sad that they are gone.

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