Age of Annihilation - Backer Trend and Discussion

[CapAp]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

I'd be interested to hear what kind of market research they did that made them think they could afford to eliminate demographics.

I’m gonna guess that Hasbro does a HasLab when it doesn’t really want to bother with market and demographic research. It seems to me that HasLab is their go-to for items the suits don’t think will sell to the broad market, and wont be bothered to check into. I think they’re happy to get the occasional unexpected windfall from it (HeroQuest) and basically ignore the projects otherwise.

[Sherman Davies]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

But when you add together all the demographics they're eliminating and all the profit they're asking for, I have to start wondering: where did they think the money was going to come from?

Between this site and the Discord, I am constantly reminded of this:

[Scytale]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

Shouldn't it still be "a Festering Honor Guard"?

Not "a" certainly, because there are a bunch of them. Maybe "the," though that's a little weird with "you control."

[IAmBatman]

Should probably be “the Festering Honor Guard if you control them” or the simpler “your Festering Honor Guard.”

[Agent Minivann]

Originally Posted by Yodaking

Yeah, the idea of a big company just turning away money when customers want to give it to them is foreign to me.

I don't think they are just turning money away. In their calculus they deemed an all or nothing as the best indication for moving forward or not. They are a big company, and they could just start production, and if it doesn't make a profit, it will be covered by some other product line that does. But that isn't good business. Especially when you look at their most recent earnings reports. They probably don't want to start unless it is a sure thing, and this approach is the way they figure if it is a sure thing.

[rudyvalentine]

Originally Posted by Agent Minivann

I don't think they are just turning money away. In their calculus they deemed an all or nothing as the best indication for moving forward or not. They are a big company, and they could just start production, and if it doesn't make a profit, it will be covered by some other product line that does. But that isn't good business. Especially when you look at their most recent earnings reports. They probably don't want to start unless it is a sure thing, and this approach is the way they figure if it is a sure thing.

I understand this reasoning but unless every future release is a $250 or more mega master set, this isn’t really a true test of current or future interest in the product.

[brak88]

Originally Posted by rudyvalentine

I understand this reasoning but unless every future release is a $250 or more mega master set, this isn’t really a true test of current or future interest in the product.

Honestly, I do kind of like the idea of just having one big huge amount of expansions/set purchase a year with free, easy shipping to my door instead of having to spend time individually look online and/or track down individual packs in person throughout the whole year and having higher prices from shipping, gas, lack of bulk savings and running around the metro area hunting down stuff because of it. Having a year to save up would make it easy to buy, and would make it a special yearly event sort of.

I get the idea of the one and done aspect of the campaign, I really do, but it doesn't seem to be working unless a REALLY BIG spike ends up happening in the end. It's a long campaign though, and that month and a half gives them time to seriously reevaluate and update and change as needed. I'm hoping this is like basketball where only the last few minutes matter lol.

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by Agent Minivann

I don't think they are just turning money away. In their calculus they deemed an all or nothing as the best indication for moving forward or not. They are a big company, and they could just start production, and if it doesn't make a profit, it will be covered by some other product line that does. But that isn't good business. Especially when you look at their most recent earnings reports. They probably don't want to start unless it is a sure thing, and this approach is the way they figure if it is a sure thing.

That's perfect being the enemy of good. Of course it's not a sure thing. It's been out of production for twelve years for a reason.

It does seem like much of this campaign has been built on assuming it's a sure thing as a mass market product, with no evidence for that, and then treating it as such, which is a giant bummer for a small but hungry fanbase.

[EricTheGreat1999]

Originally Posted by Sherman Davies

Between this site and the Discord, I am constantly reminded of this:

That seems to summarize the Discord chat fairly well

The numbers are not doing well at all. Less than 50 backers a day and we won't be even hitting the halfway point by the time we get to the last 96 hours of funding.

[Yodaking]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

That's perfect being the enemy of good. Of course it's not a sure thing. It's been out of production for twelve years for a reason.

It does seem like much of this campaign has been built on assuming it's a sure thing as a mass market product, with no evidence for that, and then treating it as such, which is a giant bummer for a small but hungry fanbase.

Because it's not a sure thing is precisely why you do a 'all hands on deck' approach to fund your start up cost. Once the molds have been paid for, the supply chain has been established, the major art/story concepts are finalized, etc. the cost of future production goes down. At which point you can try to expand your customer base. Future customers that were maybe on the fence, now see a finished product they can buy into with the confidence the game will continue to be supported going forward.

When HS first came out and was sitting on the shelves of retail stores like Walmart and Target, I didn't buy it in the first 6 weeks. I don't own a single sparkly water tile. I recall seeing it long before I bought a copy for myself. It was only after someone else I knew had a copy and I was able to interact with it that I started my own collection. I now have a pretty big collection and spent a lot of money on different boosters, master sets, terrain expansions, etc. In order to expand on the existing customer base for HS, you first need to have product available to be seen, touched, and played with. HS's revival is going to take more than a 6 week online campaign. In the meantime, sell some terrain to that Robotech player. Sell some mini's to a mini painting enthusiast. Fund the molds, establish the supply chain, create all the box art, and then grow the customer base and sell more terrain & mini's at a higher profit margin going forward.

[GaryLASQ]

Originally Posted by Yodaking

When HS first came out and was sitting on the shelves of retail stores like Walmart and Target, I didn't buy it in the first 6 weeks. I don't own a single sparkly water tile. I recall seeing it long before I bought a copy for myself. It was only after someone else I knew had a copy and I was able to interact with it that I started my own collection. I now have a pretty big collection and spent a lot of money on different boosters, master sets, terrain expansions, etc. In order to expand on the existing customer base for HS, you first need to have product available to be seen, touched, and played with. HS's revival is going to take more than a 6 week online campaign. In the meantime, sell some terrain to that Robotech player. Sell some mini's to a mini painting enthusiast. Fund the molds, establish the supply chain, create all the box art, and then grow the customer base and sell more terrain & mini's at a higher profit margin going forward.

With advances in holography, our great grand kids will look back nostalgically (as older adults) at 3d-printing and purchasing of plastic "toys".

For the immediate future, if we somehow reach 8000 in time, I want to know if they'll be sending out an Early Bird Certificate Package with a Heroscape membership card and some stickers, in time for Christmas.

[Agent Minivann]

Originally Posted by rudyvalentine

I understand this reasoning but unless every future release is a $250 or more mega master set, this isn’t really a true test of current or future interest in the product.

Not at all. Once they have the first release, they will have a much better idea on market. They will be able to sell the whole initial set in smaller pieces. They will be able to sell terrain sets. They will be able to pay for the production for common sets which will have potential to give higher margins.