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Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






https://www.atomicmassgames.com/special-announcement

November 16, 2020

Atomic Mass Games Takes Its First Steps Into The Star Wars Miniatures Games Galaxy
Development of Star Wars X-Wing, Star Wars Armada, and Star Wars Legion Moving from Fantasy Flight Games to Asmodee’s Miniatures Games-Focused Studio

SEATTLE, WA, November 16, 2020- In a strategic reorganization of its Star Wars miniatures titles, Asmodee is announcing today that oversight of its three Star Wars miniatures titles will be moving to their dedicated miniatures games studio, Atomic Mass Games.

Development of all future miniatures games will be handled by Atomic Mass as well. The move to a specialty studio positions Asmodee’s miniatures titles for even greater success in the future.

“Atomic Mass is committed to bringing people together through fun games, and Star Wars has been bringing people together through the power of myth and story for over 40 years,” Steve Horvath, Head of US Publishing, said. “Combining their talent with the strength of our current Star Wars games and the limitless possibilities of a galaxy far, far away is going to lead to incredible new experiences for tabletop gamers and Star Wars fans to enjoy.”

Simone Elliott, who has shepherded Fantasy Flight’s relationship with Lucasfilm Licensing since 2015, will lead Atomic Mass Games during this time of expansion as Head of Studio. Will Shick assumes primary creative oversight as Head of Product Development. Joining them will be key members of the teams involved in the creation and evolution of Fantasy Flight’s current Star Wars miniatures games, Star Wars X-Wing, Star Wars Legion, and Star Wars Armada.


Update:

https://www.atomicmassgames.com/starwars-qa

November 17, 2020

This Is Where the Fun Begins
Atomic Mass Games Launches Into the Galaxy of Star Wars Miniatures

Yesterday’s announcement that Atomic Mass Games (AMG) will be taking responsibility for the continued development of Star Wars: X-Wing, Star Wars: Armada, and Star Wars: Legion represents an exciting development for miniatures games in a galaxy far, far away.

We spoke with Atomic Mass’ Simone Elliott (Head of Studio) and Will Shick (Head of Product Development) to gain more information on what fans can expect in the future and for more background on the factors leading to this reorganization.

Let’s start with the most obvious question. Fantasy Flight has launched and maintained three incredibly successful Star Wars miniatures games. Why the move to Atomic Mass?

Simone: In a word, specialization. Moving to AMG gives us the perfect opportunity to develop our miniatures games in a studio devoted entirely to miniatures, rather than board and card tabletop games. It’s a place where these specific types of games can truly thrive.

Will: And that devotion Simone mentions, our singular focus on hobby miniatures, is fueled by our team’s lifelong passion for creating great games. Combining that passion with the incredibly solid foundation laid by the team at Fantasy Flight is basically like bringing balance to the Force. We have the tools and we have the talent to build on that foundation and take these miniatures games even further.

Does this mean we should expect changes to X-Wing, Legion, and Armada?

Will: One of Atomic Mass’ core philosophies is that there is no finish line. We see ourselves on a lifelong journey of learning and improvement. That’s a pretentious way of saying yes (laughs).

If we’re doing the job right, and staying true to our ethos as a studio, changes will most certainly happen. But those changes will always be in service of making great games even better. I should also point out that any change process will always be measured and highly considerate. These games have solid fan bases made up of people who have invested their hard-earned money, and more importantly, their time and creativity, into creating armies, squadrons, and fleets that are unique reflections of who they are.

We’re a studio made up of people who love and engage in the hobby daily. We deeply understand that kind of investment on a personal level, and we’re committed to honoring and valuing it in everything we do.

Does that include new Star Wars miniatures games? Can we expect to see any additional titles?

Simone: While we’re hyper-focused on our current games, we’re always thinking of new ones, too. Will and I have talked a lot about how we can create cool new Star Wars miniatures games that will excite fans and immerse them in the stories they love so much.

Will: The galaxy far, far away is a really big place with a lot to explore. It doesn’t take Emperor Palpatine’s Force abilities to foresee that this is just the beginning for Star Wars miniatures games.



For more on the Star Wars miniatures transition to Atomic Mass Games, check out our official press release.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/11/18 16:46:44


 
   
Made in us
Sadistic Inquisitorial Excruciator




USA

Hmm, that's definitely an interesting choice, but probably a good one. I don't play any of those guys or Crisis Protocol, but from all accounts the team that runs CP are top notch. They seem to have a very active social media presence and communicate with their fans a lot.

 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Its all under the Asmodee banner anyway, so the real boogeyman that is their distribution issues, will be the same either way.

These and ASoIaF deserve better than Asmodee as distributor.

11527pts Total (7400pts painted)

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3730 Total (210pts painted) 
   
Made in us
Inspiring SDF-1 Bridge Officer





Mississippi

X-Wing seems to have stumbled since 2.0 came out. Not sure which way the wind is blowing on this one - whether it's just a division switch or there'll be an actual shakeup in how the game(s) are handled.

It never ends well 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut




It feels like we are seeing the slow vivisection of FFG. What section of FFG will go next? Card games? Board games with miniatures?
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




Wondering once again if Asmodee is hollowing out FFG and are just going to dump them in a ditch.

Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in us
[DCM]
Longtime Dakkanaut





Considering FFGs pretty poor history with miniature games I think people are over reacting just a tad. If Asmodee wasn't involved and the story was more FFG creates spin off company Atomic mass games with ex Privateer Press employees. And then a year later moved the rest of their mini games over to them due to how well Crisis Protocol development was being run I don't think the reaction here would be the same.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/11/16 21:11:22


 
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





Hopefully this means FFG will go back to focusing on great board games. They used to be my favorite studio, but so much focus on Star Wars mini games has really reduced the output of other interesting games from them.
   
Made in gb
Thermo-Optical Hac Tao





Gosport, UK

I’ve just got into Star Wars Legion, so hopefully there’s no negative side effects to this. It would be nice if it meant proper distribution, but it’s still Asmodee so, I doubt it.
   
Made in us
Member of the Ethereal Council






NewTruthNeomaxim wrote:
Its all under the Asmodee banner anyway, so the real boogeyman that is their distribution issues, will be the same either way.

These and ASoIaF deserve better than Asmodee as distributor.

MCP has never, EVER had distribution problems

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Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

I can't see It being anything negative for legion etc,

whether it's also part of a plan to refocus FFG or or drop it as an entity in a few years probably depends on what the takeover agreement said (ie do any of the old FFG crew get continual payments or residuals which could be stopped by removing all the assets before closing the brand)

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/11/16 21:43:11


 
   
Made in us
Stoic Grail Knight





Central Cimmeria

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
NewTruthNeomaxim wrote:
Its all under the Asmodee banner anyway, so the real boogeyman that is their distribution issues, will be the same either way.

These and ASoIaF deserve better than Asmodee as distributor.

MCP has never, EVER had distribution problems


How do we get some of that for ASOIAF?

They just delayed the November releases for ASOIAF, and their excuse was basically just telling us they are bad at their job after first blaming the issue on CMON. When they clarified they (a logistics and supply chain company) just said they were having supply chain "issues".

They've been doing the same thing since well before Covid. They just suck at their job.
   
Made in gb
Decrepit Dakkanaut




UK

I suspect MCP hasn't had issues as It's not popular enough yet to outsell a basic minimum order,

when they need to commit extra money up front things may get worse
(although since it's HIPS it could be from a different factory with more space for regular smaller orders, rather than a single big one that has to last 6 months)

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/11/16 21:58:06


 
   
Made in gb
RogueSangre



West Sussex, UK

 hotsauceman1 wrote:
NewTruthNeomaxim wrote:
Its all under the Asmodee banner anyway, so the real boogeyman that is their distribution issues, will be the same either way.

These and ASoIaF deserve better than Asmodee as distributor.

MCP has never, EVER had distribution problems


Maybe not in America but early distribution was appalling in UK and Europe. Some models that went out of stock when the game first launched have only just become available again in the last month. It hasn’t been ASOIAF bad but far from good.
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




 Monkeysloth wrote:
Considering FFGs pretty poor history with miniature games I think people are over reacting just a tad.

Pretty sure 'overreacting' is exactly what some said when the RPG division got gutted and there was talk of FFG losing the SW license back in January. But here we are again. Somehow.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/11/16 22:11:53


Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






 hotsauceman1 wrote:
NewTruthNeomaxim wrote:
Its all under the Asmodee banner anyway, so the real boogeyman that is their distribution issues, will be the same either way.

These and ASoIaF deserve better than Asmodee as distributor.

MCP has never, EVER had distribution problems


What’s MCP?

Got the various others, but this one has me stumped.

   
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Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

Well I guess a bunch of people at FFG are about to get fired, just like their RPG dept a while back.

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
Made in us
Fixture of Dakka






 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
 hotsauceman1 wrote:
NewTruthNeomaxim wrote:
Its all under the Asmodee banner anyway, so the real boogeyman that is their distribution issues, will be the same either way.

These and ASoIaF deserve better than Asmodee as distributor.

MCP has never, EVER had distribution problems


What’s MCP?

Got the various others, but this one has me stumped.


I’m guessing Marvel: Crisis Protocol?

I’m not a superhero fan but it seems to fit.

"The Omnissiah is my Moderati" 
   
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[DCM]
Longtime Dakkanaut





Voss wrote:
 Monkeysloth wrote:
Considering FFGs pretty poor history with miniature games I think people are over reacting just a tad.

Pretty sure 'overreacting' is exactly what some said when the RPG division got gutted and there was talk of FFG losing the SW license back in January. But here we are again. Somehow.


But this is nothing like the RPG stuff, which turned out to be just them getting rid of in house and moving to mostly contractors as they're still doing Genesys and L5R releases last I heard (I know there's a new sourcebook for L5R) so it sucked people lost their jobs but they didn't drop RPGs. They're literally just moving things to a sister company that's focus is this type of game. FFG clearly doesn't have the resources to do boardgames, RPGS and Wargames as they generally only manage to get one of those any support at a given time (and it was never RPGS). You can blame Asmodee for that but the fact still remains that they were horrible supporting all 3 before the acquisition.
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut



Long Island, New York

My issue is the Atomic Mass Games have been super quick to pat themselves on the back (See their videos from "Gencon" this year) while cranking out a fun beer and pretzels game that has some really generic and repeated poses on their characters.

Can they handle taking on three new games that have very vocal and demanding fanbases? The MCP fanboys pretty much crush anyone on their FB pages that doesn't't agree with everything they do being completely perfect, so they get little actual feedback other than more cheers every time they show a new mini.

Probably partly due to the fact that it is a fun game based on a popular IP, but since Covid hit pretty soon after release they have not been really tested in the big tournament and rules lawyer waters yet. The Sw games have, and have reacted fairly well to past issues.

Distribution is what it is, they are both under the Asmodee banner. Not sure how that will impact the restock issues.

Who knows, hoping for the best.

Psyched for a Darth Vader doing his best Captain Morgan pose and A Star Destroyer posed jauntily off of an asteroid with the SW Armada 1.5 releases.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/11/16 22:48:34


 
   
Made in gb
[MOD]
Villanous Scum







The only person that seems to have moved on so far has been one of the organized play guys and that was more than likely to return to the UK after all the issues in the part of the States where he was living, no sign of it being anything else other than an internal reshuffle so far.

On parle toujours mal quand on n'a rien à dire. 
   
Made in us
Member of the Ethereal Council






Yeah it aint gonna be a big deal.
Only change i can see is the packaging now having a cool little robot



Automatically Appended Next Post:
vinsal wrote:
My issue is the Atomic Mass Games have been super quick to pat themselves on the back (See their videos from "Gencon" this year) while cranking out a fun beer and pretzels game that has some really generic and repeated poses on their characters.

Can they handle taking on three new games that have very vocal and demanding fanbases? The MCP fanboys pretty much crush anyone on their FB pages that doesn't't agree with everything they do being completely perfect, so they get little actual feedback other than more cheers every time they show a new mini.

Probably partly due to the fact that it is a fun game based on a popular IP, but since Covid hit pretty soon after release they have not been really tested in the big tournament and rules lawyer waters yet. The Sw games have, and have reacted fairly well to past issues.

Distribution is what it is, they are both under the Asmodee banner. Not sure how that will impact the restock issues.

Who knows, hoping for the best.

Psyched for a Darth Vader doing his best Captain Morgan pose and A Star Destroyer posed jauntily off of an asteroid with the SW Armada 1.5 releases.

I won every Marvel Mini and i dont see repeated poses.
Unless you are talking about the Rocks, which every single wargame has nowadays

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2020/11/17 00:33:21


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Made in us
Knight of the Inner Circle






I hope this isn't a sign of rebooting the license,
but I am not sure what else they can do for the new products because it seems very limited to what hasn't been released yet.

 
   
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[MOD]
Villanous Scum







 Genoside07 wrote:
I hope this isn't a sign of rebooting the license,
but I am not sure what else they can do for the new products because it seems very limited to what hasn't been released yet.


For the SW games? There are tons of things still to be released for each of them, prequel stuff has not really got revved up yet (for Armada its due for release next month), sequel stuff is only in X-Wing and there is not yet a thing from Mando in any of it. Of course there is also an entirely new time period about to be released and fleshed out which will add even more options.

On parle toujours mal quand on n'a rien à dire. 
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba




The Great State of New Jersey

MCP has absolutely had distribution issues, like all things touched by Asmodee, but theyve been less pronounced than other games because MCP doesn't sell multiple copies of every release to every customer the way releases for ASOIF and the SW games do.

As for FFG, a bunch if the devs for the games have been laid off, including Alex Davy and Michael Gernes who were the primary game designers, developers, and producers behind the three Star Wars systems.

CoALabaer wrote:
Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
 
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




 Monkeysloth wrote:
Voss wrote:
 Monkeysloth wrote:
Considering FFGs pretty poor history with miniature games I think people are over reacting just a tad.

Pretty sure 'overreacting' is exactly what some said when the RPG division got gutted and there was talk of FFG losing the SW license back in January. But here we are again. Somehow.


But this is nothing like the RPG stuff, which turned out to be just them getting rid of in house and moving to mostly contractors as they're still doing Genesys and L5R releases last I heard (I know there's a new sourcebook for L5R) so it sucked people lost their jobs but they didn't drop RPGs.

Firing people and moving to contractors is definitionally gutting an RPG department. [which is what I said, not 'drop RPGs.' And see below on losing the license comment

They're literally just moving things to a sister company that's focus is this type of game.

Yeah. Moving major titles (and the accompanying license) from FFG to a different company is pretty much exactly what I mean by 'hollowing out' FFG. The 'sister' company aspect provides no comfort for people who are losing their jobs or now likely have to move their families from Minnesota to Washington state.

FFG clearly doesn't have the resources to do boardgames, RPGS and Wargames as they generally only manage to get one of those any support at a given time (and it was never RPGS). You can blame Asmodee for that but the fact still remains that they were horrible supporting all 3 before the acquisition.

So it is happening, but its justified, so that's OK? I'm not actually sure you're really arguing with my points at this stage.
It certainly doesn't seem like overreacting if you're positing idea that this actually needs to happen because FFG is horrible.

Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
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Owns Whole Set of Skullz Techpriests






Versteckt in den Schatten deines Geistes.

Their support for RPGs was fine. They just don't have an RPG team anymore.

I wonder if this change will mean the Armada Super Star Destroyer will go down in price?

Industrial Insanity - My Terrain Blog
"GW really needs to understand 'Less is more' when it comes to AoS." - Wha-Mu-077

 
   
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Villanous Scum







chaos0xomega wrote:
MCP has absolutely had distribution issues, like all things touched by Asmodee, but theyve been less pronounced than other games because MCP doesn't sell multiple copies of every release to every customer the way releases for ASOIF and the SW games do.

As for FFG, a bunch if the devs for the games have been laid off, including Alex Davy and Michael Gernes who were the primary game designers, developers, and producers behind the three Star Wars systems.


Did anyone tell Alex? He seemed to think he was still lead dev for Legion as of the 20th of last month.

On parle toujours mal quand on n'a rien à dire. 
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba




The Great State of New Jersey

You do realize that this news broke today, right? His status on the 20th of October is irrelevant as to his status on the 16th of November....

CoALabaer wrote:
Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
 
   
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[MOD]
Villanous Scum







And do you have proof of his status today?

On parle toujours mal quand on n'a rien à dire. 
   
 
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