The Haunted Game Cafe » game business

Video Games in Decline, Board Games on Rise

Gary Sproul — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:32:06 +0000

M&C News is reporting from the Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany that the current decline in video games and rise of board games is permanent.

From the article:

Toy industry experts say a recent world decline in sales of computer video games is permanent, but old-fashioned board games are making a comeback, according to a summary Thursday of a meeting at the Nuremberg Toy Fair.

The future of traditional playthings, such as dolls for girls and construction toys for boys, is assured, said Richard Gottlieb, a US consultant who chaired the Building Our Future conference, which took place behind closed doors.

‘Board games are cross-generational. They bring the family together,’ said Gottlieb, adding that newer games had been made more challenging for adults than for younger players, giving children a better chance of winning.

Wizards of the Coast Drops Star Wars License

Gary Sproul — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:43:25 +0000

Blaming the economic downturn, Wizards of the Coast Director of Marketing Greg Yahn announced that the company would not be renewing its Star Wars license. The license will expire this summer.

From the article on ICv2:

Releases will continue as planned until the end of the license, according to the announcement. In April, Masters of the Force minis will be released, including favorite characters along with rare creatures from the Dejarik Holochess game that have never appeared in the Star Wars CMG.

The Unknown Regions RPG is also planned for April, including entirely new planets and mini-adventures for each world.

Thanks to ICv2

New Ad Campaign

Gary Sproul — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:28:16 +0000

Here’s the new ad campaign for that our marketing experts at Toolbox Creative came up with. These ads should start appearing in papers in Fort Collins, Loveland and Windsor.

Denver Post Features Local Game Collecters

Gary Sproul — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:15:28 +0000

Today’s Denver Post has an article on modern board games and some local game collectors.

The overall toy industry’s sales are down 2 percent for 2009, but they’re up 4 percent for board games, according to market research firm NPD Group Inc.

Among the gaming cognoscenti, much of the credit for the boom goes to one game: The Settlers of Catan.

“That changed everything,” said Sheila, sitting beside the pingpong table with her husband and Lenny Scovell, 46, another board-game enthusiast. They all made “ooh” sounds and shook their heads in agreement. “That was the breakthrough game.”

The Haunted Game Cafe Profiled in the Coloradoan

Gary Sproul — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:08:38 +0000

The Fort Collins Coloradoan has an article online about us here at the moldering sanctum.

In addition to its coffee, of which espresso is the store’s signature drink, The Haunted Café offers games ranging from “Arkham Horror” to “A Touch of Evil.” There is also a wall of open games where customers can come in and play a game while drinking coffee.

Read the full article here.

Members of the staff will be available for autographs by appointment only.

UPDATE: A longer article with pictures has been posted. You can find it here.