Playthings - Endless Games

This article printed with permission from Playthings.com

Letters to the Editor:

Dear Editor:

Whatever happened to passion? It got deducted from invoice.

The game business has changed so radically that sometimes I don't recognize it anymore. It wasn't that long ago that we all loved what we did, and we did it well. The retailer embraced new ideas and everyone got a piece of the pie. The board game aisle was the most exciting part of the toy store.

Look at the kind of games that are being produced today. At best, they are low-content licensed games. Please-this has to stop.

We really need to look at this business again and make changes. When did licensing companies dictate to a factory royalties, advances and guarantees? Guarantees? For what? For taking a chance on a product and then funding its production and distribution? It's the factory that should be getting a guarantee?

Why did game companies stop bringing out innovative and exciting products? Look down the game aisle. Does it remind you of your childhood when you wanted to open every box?

Retailers don't want to pioneer new game products from game companies who actually have good product because the companies don't provide rebates, advertising and freight. So, game companies who do look at outside ideas face a dilemma. If we see a great new idea, how can we produce it? We have only a handful of game retailers who support it - and thank God for them.

If there were 2,000 independent game stores, Endless Games would be Milton Bradley. We really try to bring passion and excitement to the trade. We need the retailer to understand that by supporting the independent game companies who support them, they, in turn, will start a chain reaction. Then, we can invest in new concepts that will once again bring back the magic to the game aisle.

In the new year; perhaps we can rediscover this magic together. Perhaps we can emphasize what's inside the box, instead of what license is on the outside.

Kevin McNulty
Vice President of Sales
Endless Games