A lot of news is pouring out of GAMA Trade Show 2015 in Las Vegas this week, not the least of which coming from Fantasy Flight Games (FFG).
Company Updates
FFG
made a big announcement at the end of 2014 that they would be merging with
Asmodee. Christian T. Petersen, CEO and founder of Fantasy Flight Games, said this about the merger and the rapid growth of FFG: “By joining forces with Asmodee, we’ll be able to continue that growth, expand our international marketing capabilities, and create additional career opportunities for our terrific staff. Most importantly, we can do this while staying true to our vision of creating great products for the global hobby games market.” This week, FFG explained that this merger will allow them to forego much of the distribution and marketing of their products, leaving them more room to concentrate on game development.
To the gaming industry (and American retail in general), it is no secret that the West Coast port delays over the last half-year or so have been detrimental to game companies and distributors to bring products to store shelves. FFG commented this week that these delays have become very severe since the summer of 2014, and it will take months to clean up the backlog.
FFG relies on its Organized Play events to bring gamers together with their games. FFG states the following about this program:
Organized Play is your portal to connecting with other passionate players who play the games you love. Our goal is to help players join a global community and create memorable and exciting game experiences all over the world. Seasonal Tournament Kits are the foundation of Organized Play. With three four-month seasons each year (Spring, Summer, and Winter), players can find a large variety of tournaments, game nights, and leagues at their local stores. Seasonal events are a place for newer players to experience organized tournaments and experienced players to try a new army or strategy.
As of the GAMA Trade Show this week, FFG has shipped over 25,000 organized play kits.
Game Updates
FFG recently announced their reprinting of the classic Reiner Knizia game
Tigris and Euphrates. This week, FFG stated that this reprint will include the original game as well as new game options.
Another announcement this week included FFG's collaboration with Dragon Shield to make Matte Sleeves for their games.
What's the latest update on the success of the hit game release,
X-Com? As of this week, the first print-run has already sold out.
FFG will be releasing multiplayer and a new DLC for Battlelore digital in a few weeks. They will also be releasing more material for the physical game of Battlelore 2.0 in 2015.
Some excellent news reported by FFG this week was that they had renewed their license to design and produce Star Wars licensed games for years to come--including the license for Star Wars Episode 7.
Along these lines, FFG had the upcoming Imperial Raider expansion ship for the
Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game on display at the GAMA Trade Show this week, as well as much news about their two latest hit games set in the Star Wars universe,
Imperial Assault and
Armada.
Star Wars: Imperial Assault Updates
FFG stated that Imperial Assault has been their biggest release in the company's history. The first wave of mini-expansions for the game, including such mini-expansions as Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Rebel Troopers, were released in stores this week on March 18.
What's more, FFG announced the first official full expansion for Imperial Assault,
Twin Shadows. This expansion will come with C3PO, R2D2 and Boba Fett.
Star Wars: Armada Updates
FFG's upcoming space miniatures game,
Star Wars: Armada, focuses on recreating epic capital starship battles from the Star Wars universe. The ships from Wave 1 were shown at the GAMA Trade Show, and Wave 2 was also announced, including the Imperial Star Destroyer, Mon Calamari Cruiser and Imperial Raider. A third faction, Rogues and Villains, will also be a future release, including the famed Millennium Falcon.
A New Game Announcement
Finally, this enormous volume of FFG news from GAMA 2015 finished with one final announcement: an upcoming game entitled
Forbidden Stars, a Warhammer 40,000 space combat game. At first glance, it is reminiscent of a full-scale space conquest game like FFG's classic hit,
Twilight Imperium 3. It will be a game for 2-4 players in which you can play as the Orks Eldar Chaos or Imperium.
This is the news from FFG as of Wednesday, March 18, from the GAMA Trade Show 2015, and there will likely be much more to follow. Continue to follow us for more information on new releases and updates at GAMA 2015.
