How successful has Eberron been for WOTC? [Archive] - Wizards Community

How successful has Eberron been for WOTC? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Newbisan
02-23-05, 06:10 AM I've just started playing in the world of Eberron, and really like the flavor and excitement of this new world. However, as I've been looking more and more at the boards, I've seen many nay-sayers (a little close minded IMHO, but that's beside the point) preaching that Ebberon would be a failure (liking it to d20 Modern, which I know little about but can guess it didn't catch on).

I've come to this setting a little late, and am hoping it will be around awhile. So, I'm just curious, has there been any official statement or sales quotes or any some such that gives an estimate of its success, and hopefully viability as a setting that is here to stay?

And if that answer is yes, make us some new, varied Warforged minis, ok? :P
Blizzard_Bobsan
02-23-05, 06:22 AM However, as I've been looking more and more at the boards, I've seen many nay-sayers (a little close minded IMHO, but that's beside the point) preaching that Ebberon would be a failure (liking it to d20 Modern, which I know little about but can guess it didn't catch on).

That's strange. My impression is that the response to Eberron (mind you - one 'b', two 'r'-s, that is important) has been quite positive - not only here on the fan-forums, but also on independent sites and boards. Honestly I can't point out another new product (even a movie or something) that has been so well received at first.
tylerthehobo
02-23-05, 10:01 AM I would be rrrrrrrrrrreeeaaaaalllllyyyyyy surprised if WotC ever released a financial statement on a new setting that they've banked on so much (pen-and-paper game products, online game forthcoming, novels, RPGA support, miniatures...). No matter how good the news was, it might not read that way to us fans - how many of us really know how many units sold would count as a success?

Long and short, they're putting out more and more Eberron product (in all the categories mentioned above), and I hope we all keep buying it. I myself am finding it a load of fun. As to the naysayers? That's kind of what message boards are all about. ;)
fuindordm
02-23-05, 10:48 AM Not long ago (I think it was in the Races of Eberron cover petition thread), an official stated:
"We have no reason to be disappointed with the sales of Eberron."

Take it as you will, but I doubt that we'll see anything more specific. If it continues getting product support as it has been, I guess that's good enough.

Ben
Edymnion
02-23-05, 11:24 AM Also, if you look at Amazon.com, the Eberron Campaign Setting is rated higher in sales than even the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.

Eberron is selling like hotcakes. There is no evidence to the contrary, and plenty of third party evidence to back it up. Heck, WotC is doing the Dragonshard articles on the front page every other week (it was weekly until they had to start double checking all the information in them to prevent conradicting something in any of the upcoming books), the Sharn Inquisitor, and the Eberron: Under the Looking Glass come out far more regularly and often than the Faerun material.

The nay-sayers are just pulling "bad sales, its gonna fail" stuff out of their butts, the truth is that we are doing quite well, and are one of, if not the fastest growing settings in the market. :)
hiryuu
02-23-05, 11:36 AM Indeed. Eberron is doing very well (d20 Modern isn't doing half-bad, either, it has two new products coming out this year (d20 Past and d20 Apocalypse), which tells me they're not losing money on it).
Shurijo
02-23-05, 08:28 PM Additionally, Atari is releasing Dragonshards RTS (Real Time Strategy, like Warcraft) game and Turbine is releasing D&D Online MMORPG (like Everquest, World of Warcraft, etc.) both this year. Both games use the Eberron setting and both are set in Xen'drik.
zambuka
02-24-05, 12:07 AM I don't know about Wizards themselves but their parent company, Hasbro has some interesting figures.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=HAS&t=1y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=

Unfortunately since Wizards is privately listed we can't see their figures directly. What is interesting is the dip that occurs just before the release dates of the Eberron material.

Could this be a good stock predicter? If Hasbro drops towards the end of march then it is possible.
(Psi)SeveredHead
02-24-05, 12:18 AM At EnWorld it was found to be slightly more popular than FR... and it's still new.
Rhone1
02-27-05, 05:20 PM I recently asked the owner of one of the largest gaming stores in southern California this same question. His response, "Eberron has been selling great and it's a good thing as it's now attracting the attention of younger players, who might otherwise be playing MTG or video games."
Joni-san
02-27-05, 06:05 PM In some other fora I've been to the response to Eberron has been largely positive, even if it was just interest in the setting :)

I think that the "Crash, burn and fail" scenario is quite unlikely at this point :D
Gunrock
02-27-05, 08:27 PM It appears Eberron is here to stay. Hooray! *Does the happy dance*

As far as d20 Modern goes, it's alive and it's doing well. But since it's set whenever the GM and Players want it to be, it takes more work than D&D and therefor doesn't appeal to most D&D players (who are too lazy or too inexperienced to make up a good Modern adventure).

Before you try to lynch me, I'd like to say that I play (and DM) core D&D, FR, and Eberron as well as d20 Modern. They are all much fun and a worth while investment of my time and money.
Edymnion
02-27-05, 08:43 PM I don't know about Wizards themselves but their parent company, Hasbro has some interesting figures.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=HAS&t=1y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=

Unfortunately since Wizards is privately listed we can't see their figures directly. What is interesting is the dip that occurs just before the release dates of the Eberron material.

Could this be a good stock predicter? If Hasbro drops towards the end of march then it is possible.Its possible. If Eberron is selling very well, and enough people are buying it, there could very well be a drop in sales just before the release of an Eberron product due to people saving their money to buy Eberron.

Definately keep an eye on the stock. If it does dip just before Races of Eberron comes out, you found a tell in the market. Wait until just before Five Nations comes out, buy as many shares as you can afford to lose at the low price, then sell as soon as it bounces back.

Buy low, sell high, never the other way around.
*I am not a professional agent, I do not presume to give legal advice on the buying or selling of stocks, I'm just some guy giving his opinion. If you sell everything you own to buy WotC stock and it suddenly plummits and you go bankrupt, it is not my fault. I suggested you buy only what you could afford to lose, after all.*
(Psi)SeveredHead
02-27-05, 11:25 PM I recently asked the owner of one of the largest gaming stores in southern California this same question. His response, "Eberron has been selling great and it's a good thing as it's now attracting the attention of younger players, who might otherwise be playing MTG or video games."

The owner of a gaming store where I live told me "everyone loves Eberron". :)
Sturm Jaeger
02-28-05, 12:29 AM I got my copy of ECS at Gen Con Indy last year. It appeared to be selling well. Steve Prescott told me he'd been signing a lot of copies those four days (as he signed my copy, and even drew a little pic in it for me. An Aerenal elf priestess. :D Very nice of him!)
Kalanth
02-28-05, 01:23 AM I, too, have seen many a person on the boards cry and moan about Eberron. In fact, I hated the setting for a long time (before actually trying it), the reason was most likely the same as those that bash the setting now. . . We fear change. People fear what they do not understand and that which is not what they are accustomed. Eberron is change, so it must be feared and that fear is shown as hate or anger.

Now, after 4 weeks playing a character in Eberron and having sat and read the campaign setting (DM bought it as a birthday present hoping I would take an interest in learning the world for the character), I love this world. Its the third best world I have ever RPed on (number 1 - Narnia, number 2 - Krynn). I would gladly suggest to a new player that they take Eberron home if they want to DM. Especially since here, before them, is a new world that has not been orchestrated by hundreds of novels, each novel sucking that much more out of the range of possibilities on the world. Eberron is there for the new DMs to change as they wish, and that makes it great.
Redbeard_Gamer
02-28-05, 11:49 AM Eberron rocks. If only I were 16 again I wouldn't feel at all guilty about saying that. I love the Forgotten Realms and it remains my favorite setting. Eberron, though is so shiny and new and holds so much possibility that I can't help but play it on the once-every-couple-of-weeks I get to play. Would that I could invest the time for a couple of games a week I'd be satisfied. As much as I love Eberron and hope it's here to stay, I hope the hype evens out after a couple of years because I really don't want it to overshadow the more classic D&D style of the realms (and Greyhawk, although I've never felt as though it were nearly as rich a setting). In other words, Airships are cool, warforged are cool; but I hope they don't replace horses, dwarves, and swords as the mainstay of fantasy gaming. Eberron is injecting excitement back into the hobby and I hope that it continues to serve that purpose.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Newbisan 02-23-05, 06:10 AM	I've just started playing in the world of Eberron, and really like the flavor and excitement of this new world. However, as I've been looking more and more at the boards, I've seen many nay-sayers (a little close minded IMHO, but that's beside the point) preaching that Ebberon would be a failure (liking it to d20 Modern, which I know little about but can guess it didn't catch on). I've come to this setting a little late, and am hoping it will be around awhile. So, I'm just curious, has there been any official statement or sales quotes or any some such that gives an estimate of its success, and hopefully viability as a setting that is here to stay? And if that answer is yes, make us some new, varied Warforged minis, ok? :P
Blizzard_Bobsan 02-23-05, 06:22 AM	However, as I've been looking more and more at the boards, I've seen many nay-sayers (a little close minded IMHO, but that's beside the point) preaching that Ebberon would be a failure (liking it to d20 Modern, which I know little about but can guess it didn't catch on). That's strange. My impression is that the response to Eberron (mind you - one 'b', two 'r'-s, that is important) has been quite positive - not only here on the fan-forums, but also on independent sites and boards. Honestly I can't point out another new product (even a movie or something) that has been so well received at first.
tylerthehobo 02-23-05, 10:01 AM	I would be rrrrrrrrrrreeeaaaaalllllyyyyyy surprised if WotC ever released a financial statement on a new setting that they've banked on so much (pen-and-paper game products, online game forthcoming, novels, RPGA support, miniatures...). No matter how good the news was, it might not read that way to us fans - how many of us really know how many units sold would count as a success? Long and short, they're putting out more and more Eberron product (in all the categories mentioned above), and I hope we all keep buying it. I myself am finding it a load of fun. As to the naysayers? That's kind of what message boards are all about. ;)
fuindordm 02-23-05, 10:48 AM	Not long ago (I think it was in the Races of Eberron cover petition thread), an official stated: "We have no reason to be disappointed with the sales of Eberron." Take it as you will, but I doubt that we'll see anything more specific. If it continues getting product support as it has been, I guess that's good enough. Ben
Edymnion 02-23-05, 11:24 AM	Also, if you look at Amazon.com, the Eberron Campaign Setting is rated higher in sales than even the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. Eberron is selling like hotcakes. There is no evidence to the contrary, and plenty of third party evidence to back it up. Heck, WotC is doing the Dragonshard articles on the front page every other week (it was weekly until they had to start double checking all the information in them to prevent conradicting something in any of the upcoming books), the Sharn Inquisitor, and the Eberron: Under the Looking Glass come out far more regularly and often than the Faerun material. The nay-sayers are just pulling "bad sales, its gonna fail" stuff out of their butts, the truth is that we are doing quite well, and are one of, if not the fastest growing settings in the market. :)
hiryuu 02-23-05, 11:36 AM	Indeed. Eberron is doing very well (d20 Modern isn't doing half-bad, either, it has two new products coming out this year (d20 Past and d20 Apocalypse), which tells me they're not losing money on it).
Shurijo 02-23-05, 08:28 PM	Additionally, Atari is releasing Dragonshards RTS (Real Time Strategy, like Warcraft) game and Turbine is releasing D&D Online MMORPG (like Everquest, World of Warcraft, etc.) both this year. Both games use the Eberron setting and both are set in Xen'drik.
zambuka 02-24-05, 12:07 AM	I don't know about Wizards themselves but their parent company, Hasbro has some interesting figures. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=HAS&t=1y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c= Unfortunately since Wizards is privately listed we can't see their figures directly. What is interesting is the dip that occurs just before the release dates of the Eberron material. Could this be a good stock predicter? If Hasbro drops towards the end of march then it is possible.
(Psi)SeveredHead 02-24-05, 12:18 AM	At EnWorld it was found to be slightly more popular than FR... and it's still new.
Rhone1 02-27-05, 05:20 PM	I recently asked the owner of one of the largest gaming stores in southern California this same question. His response, "Eberron has been selling great and it's a good thing as it's now attracting the attention of younger players, who might otherwise be playing MTG or video games."
Joni-san 02-27-05, 06:05 PM	In some other fora I've been to the response to Eberron has been largely positive, even if it was just interest in the setting :) I think that the "Crash, burn and fail" scenario is quite unlikely at this point :D
Gunrock 02-27-05, 08:27 PM	It appears Eberron is here to stay. Hooray! Does the happy dance As far as d20 Modern goes, it's alive and it's doing well. But since it's set whenever the GM and Players want it to be, it takes more work than D&D and therefor doesn't appeal to most D&D players (who are too lazy or too inexperienced to make up a good Modern adventure). Before you try to lynch me, I'd like to say that I play (and DM) core D&D, FR, and Eberron as well as d20 Modern. They are all much fun and a worth while investment of my time and money.
Edymnion 02-27-05, 08:43 PM	I don't know about Wizards themselves but their parent company, Hasbro has some interesting figures. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=HAS&t=1y&l=on&z=m&q=l&c= Unfortunately since Wizards is privately listed we can't see their figures directly. What is interesting is the dip that occurs just before the release dates of the Eberron material. Could this be a good stock predicter? If Hasbro drops towards the end of march then it is possible.Its possible. If Eberron is selling very well, and enough people are buying it, there could very well be a drop in sales just before the release of an Eberron product due to people saving their money to buy Eberron. Definately keep an eye on the stock. If it does dip just before Races of Eberron comes out, you found a tell in the market. Wait until just before Five Nations comes out, buy as many shares as you can afford to lose at the low price, then sell as soon as it bounces back. Buy low, sell high, never the other way around. I am not a professional agent, I do not presume to give legal advice on the buying or selling of stocks, I'm just some guy giving his opinion. If you sell everything you own to buy WotC stock and it suddenly plummits and you go bankrupt, it is not my fault. I suggested you buy only what you could afford to lose, after all.
(Psi)SeveredHead 02-27-05, 11:25 PM	I recently asked the owner of one of the largest gaming stores in southern California this same question. His response, "Eberron has been selling great and it's a good thing as it's now attracting the attention of younger players, who might otherwise be playing MTG or video games." The owner of a gaming store where I live told me "everyone loves Eberron". :)
Sturm Jaeger 02-28-05, 12:29 AM	I got my copy of ECS at Gen Con Indy last year. It appeared to be selling well. Steve Prescott told me he'd been signing a lot of copies those four days (as he signed my copy, and even drew a little pic in it for me. An Aerenal elf priestess. :D Very nice of him!)
Kalanth 02-28-05, 01:23 AM	I, too, have seen many a person on the boards cry and moan about Eberron. In fact, I hated the setting for a long time (before actually trying it), the reason was most likely the same as those that bash the setting now. . . We fear change. People fear what they do not understand and that which is not what they are accustomed. Eberron is change, so it must be feared and that fear is shown as hate or anger. Now, after 4 weeks playing a character in Eberron and having sat and read the campaign setting (DM bought it as a birthday present hoping I would take an interest in learning the world for the character), I love this world. Its the third best world I have ever RPed on (number 1 - Narnia, number 2 - Krynn). I would gladly suggest to a new player that they take Eberron home if they want to DM. Especially since here, before them, is a new world that has not been orchestrated by hundreds of novels, each novel sucking that much more out of the range of possibilities on the world. Eberron is there for the new DMs to change as they wish, and that makes it great.
Redbeard_Gamer 02-28-05, 11:49 AM	Eberron rocks. If only I were 16 again I wouldn't feel at all guilty about saying that. I love the Forgotten Realms and it remains my favorite setting. Eberron, though is so shiny and new and holds so much possibility that I can't help but play it on the once-every-couple-of-weeks I get to play. Would that I could invest the time for a couple of games a week I'd be satisfied. As much as I love Eberron and hope it's here to stay, I hope the hype evens out after a couple of years because I really don't want it to overshadow the more classic D&D style of the realms (and Greyhawk, although I've never felt as though it were nearly as rich a setting). In other words, Airships are cool, warforged are cool; but I hope they don't replace horses, dwarves, and swords as the mainstay of fantasy gaming. Eberron is injecting excitement back into the hobby and I hope that it continues to serve that purpose.