Euros pose threat to Hasbro?

Stolen from BGG poster: www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=3680


Very interesting. I know folks at BGG and here and BGN all say Settlers is going to become the new Monopoly, and some want that and some say it'll be our niche hobby downfall. Either way - could it be on the horizon?

I've been referring to Settlers as the "Monopoly-killer" since I first played it years ago.

I wonder if in another 5-10 years that TtR would be in this conversation too. It's pretty and lots of versions. Simple, familiar rules, familiar subject matter.

Blokus was kinda suprising to me at first just because it's relatively young - but then I checked and it's 2000. Settlers is 1995. And TtR is 2004. So I think around 15 years is about right - maybe less as people "open the flood gates" and explore the hobby.

And then you have some folks that don't even consider Settlers to be a Euro anymore. I could see it overtaking Monopoly someday as it finds its way to more and more places. It's a fun game and with the way resources are handled, usually everyone is involved in the turns.

Will it kill the niche market? Probably not. Will games like Agricola enjoy the same success? Probably not.

If it's a threat to Hasbro, they will buy it out. Period. So far they must not feel that way.

It may be too expensive a property for them to buy considering worldwide sales and distribution.

Here's the thing. I don't doubt that SETTLERS could, in another 20 years, be on a similar classic game, mass market footing that MONOPOLY is. Maybe even TICKET TO RIDE. However, almost all other Euros...no.

In 20 years, kids and young adults that played SETTLERS now either F2F or on XBL are going to want to play it with their kids. That's meaningful. Considering that SETTLERS is really kind of getting into third and possibly fourth generations now, that's laying a lot of groundwork.

But it's not going to be overnight, and it's not going to cause people to suddenly inundate BGG or any other hobby site with people looking for "those German games". It won't happen. Most people buy 3-4 board games _in their lifetime_, and SETTLERS will not change that no matter how popular it gets. Board games are not and never will be a hobby for a vast, crushing, overwhelming majority of people. But there are plenty of folks who will pick up a board game to play with kids or to have something to do when the relatives are around for the holidays.

Personally, I'd love for SETTLERS to turn out to be the Antichrist for the gaming hobby. I'll take the mark.

Ken B. wrote:

If it's a threat to Hasbro, they will buy it out. Period. So far they must not feel that way.

I dont know much in the way of corporate affairs and such, but wouldnt Catan GMBH have to agree to it? Or are you just thinking if they offer 3 million bucks they'll take and it's a done deal?

Ska_baron wrote:

I wonder if in another 5-10 years that TtR would be in this conversation too.

After it won the SdJ it influenced a lot of game design towards that simple rules and quick playtime mindset. It'll probably remain a good seller, but might end up with too many competitors for it to stand out in the long run. Whereas Catan is more of a traditional style board game that actually made a cultural mark.

OK guys - you all been sniffing some good shit ?

C'mon - this is a tiny niche hobby and virtually unknown to 99.5% people in first and second world countries. I have met no one outside of gaming groups that has even heard of euro games let alone SoC. And in today's society of fast and brain-free entertainment the only thing replacing monopoly in 20 yrs time will be the latest 'classic' video game in all its futuristic glory - fuck, can anyone see the masses trying to read the rules let alone understand how to play SoC.

I agree. When it comes to boardgames, most people buy very games, and they buy what they remember from their own childhoods. That means Monopoly, Risk, Clue, Battleship, Stratego, Scrabble, and Candyland. At today's boardgame prices, most typical consumers won't take a chance on something unfamiliar. And if Settlers is poised to become the next major family boardgame, where is the advertising? Word of mouth isn't going to knock Monopoly out of place to make way for a newcomer.

there's a vast array of snobs who already consider settlers to be just as evil as monopoly.

My guess is that the writer is unaware of how much intellectual property Hasbro has waiting in a file cabinet for the day these games start making their numbers. Their acquisitions of entire companies brought a lot of titles along for the ride, and they don't appear to be eager to sell them.

The headline on the article is great for attracting eyeballs, but Hasbro has plenty of cash cows still in the barn.

Sag.

The telling part of that article is Mattel getting blockus. Mattel were bigger than Hasbo once upon a time. If Blockus does well for Mattel - and frankly I can see Blockus being a big hit for them - expect Mattle to go for other properties and re-enter the boardgame market.
Catan alone can't do it. But If a big company like Mattel became a licensor or ditributor with partnership for it it could break. For all the Monopoly talk there have been fad boardgames before - Tivial Pursuit being the prime example.

As far as Video games trumping boardgames for kids - I use to hear that same argument years ago with books dying in the ass due to kids watching movies. The Harry Potter came along and books are now popular with Kids even until these days. There is bit of a kitch thing happening with boardgames atm, could be the tough financial times, could be Wii has gotten people back into group stuff at home, could be just the fact that everything old is new again. But if hollywood is making a movie about monoploly then I find it hard to believe only a few geeks are still boardgaming.

Yeah, I think some of you are seriously underestimating the penetration Settlers is getting. The statistics in the article are meaningful. 200K units in NA last year, and year-over-year 75% growth is amazing for any gaming product. There are a ton of non-hobby types who do play it, and word-of-mouth is very, very big for this game. I see it placed prominently in major stores all the time. No, it will likely never rival Monopoly--on cost alone, it can't compete--but when the same people playing now are going to want something to play with their kids, SoC will fit the bill nicely.

The point about Trivial Pursuit is a good one. Is SoC in the same boat? Honestly, it feels a little different to me, but I don't have any reason for that, just a gut instinct. Time will tell.

Will it have any significant effects on the hobby? Please. Not on your life.

Ska_baron wrote:

I wonder if in another 5-10 years that TtR would be in this conversation too. It's pretty and lots of versions. Simple, familiar rules, familiar subject matter.

I think so.