Specialist Games maybe not entirely dead

[eldargal]

Hey Natfka,
Just some speculation about publicly filed records.

I was doing some research on the United States Trademark website, and found that in September 2013, GW filed for the "BATTLEFLEET GOTHIC" "MORDHEIM" "NECROMUNDA" "DREADLEET" trademarks. These are being actively pursued, with some documents being filed as recently as last week, in September 2014, with correspondence going back and forth.

Also, these are pre-applications, where they anticipate releasing products in the future and want to be protected until market, not for products that they already have in the market.

In addition, the categories of goods they cover include miniature games, RPGs, computer games, and anything in between those categories and board/card games.

Dreadfleet is actually gotten through to be posted for opposition, which means the public can comment and challenge it, but the USPTO doesn't have a problem with it.

To serve as a counter-example, some of the Blood Bowl trademarks date back from the 1990's and the 2000's, and are considered to still be in use in various ways. And 1 Space Hulk trademark from 1997 for board and computer games is still active and being used, but newer Space Hulk ones for various other types of games are being filed in September 2013 with the others mentioned above.

The really funny thing to me is that they killed off the Specialist games around May 2013... but then in September of the same year paid an attorney lots of money to file for all the other trademarks again. So, in my unprofessional market analysis, this is not a "We used these in the past, lets get the IP rights" type of thing, but a "We got stuff coming down the pipe later, and now we are doing the IP rights correctly this time before hand!"

[URL="natfka.blogspot.com/2014/09/battlefleet-gothic-mordheim-necromunda.html"]From Faeit[/URL]. Should be something that can be verified and if it is accurate might indicate that we could see some of the SGs return a la Space Hulk.

[Wolfshade]

Hmm could be. Or they could just be making sure they are bolt and bracers to stop things becomeing "abandoned" and freeware as it were.

Still, though, Mordheim is great fun and would love to play blood bowl again, looks like back the that cyanide pc game

[Mr Mystery]

Interesting.

I reckon we'll see them again. The moulds (presumably) still exist after all. And I did speculate on the Space Hulk thread that short run, limited release might be the way to go. Cast up a finite number of models, and once they're gone, they're gone until the next time. Creates and manages demand quite nicely, reducing risk to capital investment.

- - - Updated - - -

Though, Wolfie possibly inadvertantly raises a point.

Mordheim has a pootery game underway. Space Hulk already has.... Blood Bowl too.

Could simply be camping on their IP.

[BeardMonk]

No Inquisitor tho :-(

Of all the systems I wonder if we will see an updated re-vamp of BFG. With the interest and rise of Xwing, GW may want to get back in on the space ship battle action.

[Morgrim]

Inquisitor suffered from the really weird scale they chose. A limited range of models + a size that makes finding alternative models tricky isn't a great combo.

[Mr Mystery]

No Inquisitor tho :-(

Of all the systems I wonder if we will see an updated re-vamp of BFG. With the interest and rise of Xwing, GW may want to get back in on the space ship battle action.

Or steer clear of it. Well served market is well served. X-Wing is an ace game, and for me works better than BFG rules wise. Plus, start up costs are nowt!

Really, really want BFG back all the same though!

[BeardMonk]

Inquisitor suffered from the really weird scale they chose. A limited range of models + a size that makes finding alternative models tricky isn't a great combo.

I still play 54mm Inq with a few mates. IMO I think the scale is right for the detail of the game. There were actually quite a lot of models released for it and finding other 54mm model ranges to draw from is not all that hard if you shop around. The whole idea was to convert to represent your characters. Its a modellers and converters dream.

[40kGamer]

I only met one specialist game I didn't like and that was Inquisitor. Still picked up several models for display but was never a big fan of the game scale. I would welcome any of the others back... a new incarnation of Adeptus Titanicus with updated turtle titans would likey cause me to pass out from excitement. :P

[Herzlos]

I can't see them re-releasing Dreadfleet as anything other than an iPad game. I imagine this is just a base covering exersize, potentially related to some CHS settlement if that's what's happened.

[40kGamer]

it's sad that Dreadfleet fell flat... ManOWar was quite the fun little game system.