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infinite_array wrote:One thing you guys are forgetting is the fact that Battlefront can always expand into the Pacific Theater, Early, Mid, and Late.

They also just brought out early war, and we haven't seen anything from the Soviets yet.

So I wouldn't be surprised if Battlefront still has another 3-4 years. I honestly don't think they're declining at the moment.

Barbarossa is going to be a bit of a problem for them now, they probably depended on that release to shift alot of T26, KV and T34(1940) models all of which they already do, so limited start up costs. Unfortunately they have been totally pre-empted by Zvevda who have now released all these for under half the price of BF. Together with The Plastic Soldier Company's 15mm plastic Soviet Infantry and future Zvevda releases such as BT5/7s and Zis trucks this now means that next years big release for BF is going to be less of a money spinner then they hoped. I really don't see Zvevda are going to stop there either and being a Russian company I expect to see T28's and T35's from them soon and the net is alive with rumors of them producing artillery pieces as well.

Is this going to put them out of business? Who knows, but it certainly isn't going to do them any good.

As for the Pacific? I don't see BF ever doing it. The rules do not lend themselves to that theater at all and would not be as popular due to the nature of the major battles.

I wouldn't be surprised if Battlefront did something radically different, like expanded to a sci-fi or fantasy setting. No reason they can't, and it means they'd control the IP.

yeah, perhaps they could start up some sort of fantesy thing.

same scale as FoW would make for some neat battles. it would be different from Warhammer Historical too.

Plenty of 15mm Fantasy figures out there already, so they would still have a cheaper alternative.

From what I have heard on the historical rumour mill, WW1 seems a possibility (in the same manner that they did WW1) and there was talk of both Colonial and Nappies rulesets.

I dont see WW2 losing its attraction anytime soon though... Though they may lose some players to other rulesets as players desire something to get their teeth into.

None of my club game FOW, we all use Rapid Fire and 20mm figures. That however, like all local situations, has no bearing on the global popularity of FOW. I know it sells well in the gaming store in Dublin.

Battlefront has already said awhile back that they had decided to do another game in a different period, and that work on it has already begun on some level. It might only be conceptual at this point, but it is something they have on the back burner at the very least.

Battlefront have also said that they will do Pacific theater at some point. They've also acknowledged that due to the different nature of the fighting there, that the rules would have to be modified or expanded, which seemed to imply that they were prepared to do just that. They also said that Pacific theater armies would probably not be compatible with other FOW armies. I'm guessing when they release it, it will function kind of like a new "period" for FOW, so we'd have EW, MW, LW, and Pacific.

My guess will be that it will be alot "closer" to the action.

less guys on stands, more terrain involvment, more emphasis on Navel and Air support.

Also, I don't think Battlefront will go out of business if Flames of War goes through a slight dry spell at some point. They are always releasing new stuff in different periods and theaters. While it is true that plenty of other companies make the same vehicles, and the question of how many Tigers does one really need is certainly valid, I would say that it's important to note that there are tons of other historical companies that also make similar products (even at similar price points) and they have been in business for years, and still are in business. In that sense, it seems that the historicals market is somewhat stable. If anything, BF have brought more historical gamers into the fold.

The only way I can see BF really going out of business and all the others staying in business is if BF seriously mismanage their money (i.e. expand way too rapidly or some such). Since they don't have retail stores like GW or anything like that, it doesn't seem particularly likely at this point. Obviously they felt comfortable enough to acquire Wargames Illustrated and Gale Force Nine. These two, if anything, ought to expand their customer base even more.


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Grey Templar wrote:My guess will be that it will be alot "closer" to the action.

less guys on stands, more terrain involvment, more emphasis on Navel and Air support.

Likely so. It's also likely that it will be a lot more infantry and artillery-based, with vehicles and tanks being much fewer and far between. The tank balance will be completely different too. A Sherman will probably be like the new Tiger in the Pacific theater, compared to many of the Japanese tanks.

yeah, Japanese Tanks were like poor quality Stuarts. they couldn't hurt Shermans from the front except at close range.

Sherman Crocs will likely be used alot though.

Hordini wrote:Also, I don't think Battlefront will go out of business if Flames of War goes through a slight dry spell at some point. They are always releasing new stuff in different periods and theaters. While it is true that plenty of other companies make the same vehicles, and the question of how many Tigers does one really need is certainly valid, I would say that it's important to note that there are tons of other historical companies that also make similar products (even at similar price points) and they have been in business for years, and still are in business. In that sense, it seems that the historicals market is somewhat stable. If anything, BF have brought more historical gamers into the fold.

The only way I can see BF really going out of business and all the others staying in business is if BF seriously mismanage their money (i.e. expand way too rapidly or some such). Since they don't have retail stores like GW or anything like that, it doesn't seem particularly likely at this point. Obviously they felt comfortable enough to acquire Wargames Illustrated and Gale Force Nine. These two, if anything, ought to expand their customer base even more.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Grey Templar wrote:My guess will be that it will be alot "closer" to the action.

less guys on stands, more terrain involvment, more emphasis on Navel and Air support.

Likely so. It's also likely that it will be a lot more infantry and artillery-based, with vehicles and tanks being much fewer and far between. The tank balance will be completely different too. A Sherman will probably be like the new Tiger in the Pacific theater, compared to many of the Japanese tanks.

I dont see them going out of business totally either, but what you've stated above is different from what is happening now. Plastic WILL change everything. BF were totally capable of competing with rival firms because the rivals made the same stuff from the same material at about the same price, now however we have a flood of models that are more then half the price of a BF model and in some cases better quality too.

If this hits BF hard enough it may well curtail their ability to develop new systems.

FoW is selling well worldwide. Just because one area in the US is currently not selling them well really has no impact on global sales.

If everyone came on and said their local store won't carry it, then it might be an issue.

Besides, most of us FoW junkies know to buy our stuff online with free shipping and a decent discount