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As the title says. There are miniatures games for Terminator, Robotech, War of the Worlds, Alien V Predator, Batman, the MCU, Even Scott Pilgrim! How has nobody taken the obvious choice of converting this massive IP into a war game? The same company that owns D&D and Magic: The Gathering own GI Joe, it's not like they don't understand nerd games. I mean really- the possibilities are so plentiful and obvious I'm not even going to try listing them. Get with the program Hasbro!

Hasbro doesn't understand the kind of nerd games you're talking about. They're utterly baffled why someone would make a box set that doesn't sell a million copies at Wal-Mart. Why put so much effort into something when there's new versions of Monopoly to make real money with no effort? Realistically, its possible we might have seen something like this had the MTG: Planeswalker game done better. It's failure likely confirmed Hasbro's decision not to bother.

If there was a suitable line of miniatures from the original GI Joe line (not the eco-warrior bs they fell into later) I'd be all about writing up a rules-set for them. I don't think a GI Joe wargame is possible considering they never "killed" anyone in the show (until they realized they could invent B.A.T.S. and actually allow GI Joes to blow something up every now and then). It's also probably "too" patriotic for a variety of people nowadays, so you gotta makes sure you pander.

Hasbro has also made awful awful miniatures of their other propertise such as Magic the Gathering. They've made randomized boosters of poorly painted miniatures and an extremely poorly received series of board games that bead the dead corpse of Heroscape.
It's important to note that they've comissioned miniatures of MtG and D&D to Wizkids who have just made rather okay and extremely well-priced RPG models.

Then again, this is Wizards and not Hasbro proper. Hasbro is currently in the process os milking Wizards for all they're worth and shoveling comics over to the bigots over at IDW Publishing.

If there does end up being a GIJoe miniatures game, expect it to be licensed over to another company, prohibitively expensive, and end up dying completely once the license expires.

Look at the amount of time and money that it takes to produce a miniatures game worth the cost. Then try to explain to someone how that expense will result in more income than the alternatives.

The miniature games for all of those properties that were mentioned by the OP were essentially all done as licensed efforts, meaning that the rights owners had basically no up-front risk, and still a lot of control over the appearance of the final product. "If you think this will work, give us money for the right to try, and then give us more money if you succeed" is a great business model for an IP owner.

So the real question is "Who's going to look at GI:Joe, and think that that's a better IP to use than just making up their own (or a sufficiently not-GI:Joe IP to avoid licensing but still attract the same people?" The sound of crickets is why Hasbro doesn't have a GI:Joe wargame.

Hasbro won't license a Transformers miniature game either.

There's an 8mm mini game called Bot Wars which evolved from a pitch to be a Transformers mini game. It now has 12 planned factions and includes homages to other 80s cartoons including GI Joe, MASK and Dino Riders.

Considering the track record, it will probably be an indie effort that ends up dying or in Fantasy Flight Games' hands.

Still, what would you expect from it?

Should it be the size of the toys or smaller?

Should game size be 40K, WMH, Infinity, or Malifaux?

From there, what style of game should it be? Should it be a save system like Warhammer, or offense v defense system like Warmachine, the d8 of Star Wars Legion, the confrontation style of Infinity? Something completely new?

Should the story match the tv shows, or pursue the grittier version of the comics?

And therein lies much of the problem. It would have to mimic the comics or else it would have to be an adventure board game, and not a wargame - or it would have to be worded oddly, such as "When you strike a unit, it surrenders and is removed from the table", etc. The animated show included shooting all the guns out of Cobras hands and then they'd surrender, etc.

I think the best option would be not a game...but a 28mm scale line of miniatures given the blessing from the owners of the IP. That way people could invent any form of game they wanted and would have a suitable collection of miniatures to choose from. That is also the least likely thing to happen.

The reason is because Hasbro has to rehire a team for each of their projects. They don't want to do anything with G.I. Joe right now, because of the political climate.
They are working on a Snake eyes movie, which by all rights looks like ass, and aside from the toy tie ins that they will ubiquitously drop for 4 times the price and tie into nostalgia, they killed the Figure Service, and are taking a dirt nap on what Disney did to them Via the Star Wars Fiasco.

Bottom line, when I asked, G.I. Joe is on hiatus for now.

They are putting together a team for new stuff, but there is an ongoing discussion as to how this new team will proceed. The Snakeeyes movie is a big damn gamble, and G.I. Joe 3 is still in the writing stage.

IF you want to sign up for contract work on a game system, you are going to have to have to get in the door, at least 25,000.00 to even get to the door. To sit at the table, you need to have the game done, prototypes already cast and ready to go to production, and investors at the ready. Not to mention, you are going to have to jump through hoops to get a slot in the major toy shows, game shows, and trade shows. Its no joke.

BTW- Has anyone seen any 3-3/4 inch Mandalorian action figures, yet? They are going back to 5 point articulation, and limited run. THAT is how bad Disney dinged up the toy market with those abysmal Star Wars movies. The other ones, the "BLACK" series, are by all rights 6 inches, and they are going full bore, cash grab.

 Baragash wrote:
Hasbro won't license a Transformers miniature game either.

You sure about that?

I was going to make a gag about how a game where no one dies and the bad guys always get away to come up with a new scheme wouldn't be fun, but then I saw this:

 Grot 6 wrote:
... and are taking a dirt nap on what Disney did to them Via the Star Wars Fiasco.

Care to elaborate?

 Cannibal wrote:
As the title says. There are miniatures games for Terminator, Robotech, War of the Worlds, Alien V Predator, Batman, the MCU, Even Scott Pilgrim! How has nobody taken the obvious choice of converting this massive IP into a war game? The same company that owns D&D and Magic: The Gathering own GI Joe, it's not like they don't understand nerd games. I mean really- the possibilities are so plentiful and obvious I'm not even going to try listing them. Get with the program Hasbro!

Maybe because all those games failed?

 Platuan4th wrote:

 Baragash wrote:
Hasbro won't license a Transformers miniature game either.

You sure about that?

Indeed...

Is that Starscream on the right?

Gonna have to get an Optimus to paint at some point

 Dysartes wrote:
Is that Starscream on the right?

Gonna have to get an Optimus to paint at some point

Starscream, Thundercracker, or Sky Warp. There were a few other Seekers of different colors as well. The only way you could tell the difference was their coloring.

And are you sure that's Optimus and not Nemesis?

The packaging says "Optimus Prime".

 Elbows wrote:
And therein lies much of the problem. It would have to mimic the comics or else it would have to be an adventure board game, and not a wargame - or it would have to be worded oddly, such as "When you strike a unit, it surrenders and is removed from the table", etc. The animated show included shooting all the guns out of Cobras hands and then they'd surrender, etc.

I think the best option would be not a game...but a 28mm scale line of miniatures given the blessing from the owners of the IP. That way people could invent any form of game they wanted and would have a suitable collection of miniatures to choose from. That is also the least likely thing to happen.

What about a skirmish game ala crisis protocol?

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I was going to make a gag about how a game where no one dies and the bad guys always get away to come up with a new scheme wouldn't be fun, but then I saw this:

 Grot 6 wrote:
... and are taking a dirt nap on what Disney did to them Via the Star Wars Fiasco.

Care to elaborate?

That's easy. Hasbro took a loss on making those figures for Star Wars, and put too many eggs into the Disney/ Marvel/ Star Wars basket that it really put them in the red. NOW? You can't even give the overpriced, underthought toys away. let me find it...

Oh yeah, here it is.

https://www.jeditemplearchives.com/2018-09-16-the-cost-of-hasbros-star-wars-license/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2018/03/21/a-look-at-hasbros-valuation/#40f5c9be3d6e

If they couldn't do a G.I. Joe video game like Skylanders, there is no way they are getting a mini game.

I think a card game by their subsidiary would be the easiest. Plus, they could have different booster packs based on "years" G.I. Joe was in play. You would start off with Major Blood, Destro, Baroness vs. Duke, Scarlet,Gung Ho, Rock and Roll, etc
Then, evolve into Hooded Cobra Commander, Tomax/Xamot vs. Lady J, Flint, Alpine, Dusty, etc. .

GI Joe has been very, very niche for some time now.

They no longer even produce figures for adult collectors, and those things were amazing for about 6 years or so.

I like the idea, but I'm afraid Hasbro won't go for it.

I want to hear more about that Transformers mini game....

You had me at the miniatures.

 Easy E wrote:
If they couldn't do a G.I. Joe video game like Skylanders, there is no way they are getting a mini game.

I think a card game by their subsidiary would be the easiest. Plus, they could have different booster packs based on "years" G.I. Joe was in play. You would start off with Major Blood, Destro, Baroness vs. Duke, Scarlet,Gung Ho, Rock and Roll, etc
Then, evolve into Hooded Cobra Commander, Tomax/Xamot vs. Lady J, Flint, Alpine, Dusty, etc. .

They did have a GI Joe card game a few years back. My brother had it, and liked it very much. Unfortunately, it was discontinued.

As for me, I've been tinkering with my own ruleset to use my old collection of Joe figures.

 Grot 6 wrote:
I want to hear more about that Transformers mini game....

You had me at the miniatures.

There isn't one yet, just a line of Hasbro brand miniatures. The point is that it's not out of the realm of possibility as was always assumed.

On the LAF some inspired chap was using PULP Alley to run GI Joe themed games.....

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=79054.msg967977#msg967977

and a battle report here:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=105263.msg1309736#msg1309736

I was definite big in GI Joe way back in the day. I think it would be pretty entertaining to reboot and remarket GI Joe to adults though. But I really doubt Hasbro would do it, Hasbro is pretty terrible really.

Call me when there are 28mm Alley Vipers please though, I'd buy about a zillion even without something to use them for.

 H wrote:
I was definite big in GI Joe way back in the day. I think it would be pretty entertaining to reboot and remarket GI Joe to adults though. But I really doubt Hasbro would do it, Hasbro is pretty terrible really.

Hasbro DID try rebooting and marketing GI Joe to adults several times and it always fails because the majority of Joe collectors/fans just want the exact same thing over and over. That's why Renegades(read: GI Joe doing the A-Team thing complete with the intro homaging the A-Team show intro) failed despite being an entirely enjoyable show with an amazing concept that fit the idea of Joe perfectly.

I've been told there's a GI Joe miniatures gamers page on Facebook. My club ran a GI miniatures game at our wargaming show this year. I believe mostly with 3D printed figures. However the company Footsore North America (Kings Hobbies and Games) does 28mm GI Joe figures. I'm not sure if they're all on the website, but I'd assume they've been posted on that Facebook group (I can't personally tell you as I have no interest in the series though).

This is not a GI Joe vs Transformers miniatures game.

It cannot be used to replicate beloved 80s cartoons.

I was never here.

This conversation never happened.

https://tradersgalaxy.com.au/product-category/bot-war/

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
The packaging says "Optimus Prime".

And there you missed the point. Quite a few characters were literally just recolors of other transformers. The original three Seekers, Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp, were such a recolor. Nemesis Prime is also such a recolor. These models are not colored, so they could be painted as any of the character recolors.

 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
This is not a GI Joe vs Transformers miniatures game.

It cannot be used to replicate beloved 80s cartoons.

I was never here.

This conversation never happened.

https://tradersgalaxy.com.au/product-category/bot-war/

MASK have also totally not been released There's also a totally not David Hasselhoff as Knight Rider character

The Soviet faction is getting Dino Riders.