WizKids, the makers of the popular tabletop superhero miniatures game HeroClix is history. At least I think it’s popular. From the official WizKids website:
The Topps Company announced today that WizKids will immediately cease operations and discontinue its product lines.
Scott Silverstein, CEO of Topps, said “This was an extremely difficult decision. While the company will still actively pursue gaming initiatives, we feel it is necessary to align our efforts more closely with Topps current sports and entertainment offerings which are being developed within our New York office.”
Upon notifying our partners, Topps will immediately pursue strategic alternatives so that viable brands and properties, including HeroClix, can continue without noticeable disruption. To that end, WizKids will continue supporting Buy it By the Brick redemptions for Arkham Asylum, and the December Organized Play events for HeroClix.
For consumer announcements, please refer to www.wizkidsgames.com over the coming days for further information.
I don’t really understand this. From what I could tell, this game was a money maker. I’ve seen individual game pieces go on eBay for hundreds of dollars. Why Topps would take something that was making money and immediately shut it down seems strange. If they want to sell off the HeroClix line to a third party, this seems like a really poor way of doing it.
This wouldn’t be the first stupid thing done by a Topps CEO.
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I didn’t know much about this game, but I had a feeling it was a pretty solid business model. The little figurines had inherent collectability that reached beyond the realm of those who actually played the game. I was tempted, on several occasions, to buy some…but they were always just a hair too expensive to justify starting a collection.