Newsgroup: it.hobby.giochi.gdr.dnd
Titolo: [Long] Aggiornamenti sui licenziamenti alla WotC

Per chi interessa vi giro un msg di Ryan Dancey:
==============================================================
There are a lot of things the "conventional wisdom" believes about the
hobby gaming industry. Most of them are wrong.
The idea that Hasbro is behind the latest series of layoffs and
downsizings at WotC is also wrong, or at least, it's wrong in the way
people think that Hasbro is behind those moves.
When WotC was sold to Hasbro, all the top executives in the company (SVP
and above) were signed to employment contracts and asked to stay at the
business. Peter Adkison and Vince Calouri continued to run the business
in tandem, until Peter left. Vince is now solely in charge of the
company. Vince was Peter's boss at Boeing, and Peter asked him first to
join WotCs board of directors, then become the company's first Exectuive
VP (later COO) to help him run the business as it grew. He started work
at WotC in 1997, just before I joined the company.
Vince is responsible for all the strategic decisions made at Wizards of
the Coast. He originally reported to Alan Hassenfeld's management group,
but in a reorganization last year, Wizards of the Coast was moved under
the Games group, which is run by a guy named David Wilson based in Rhode
Island.
Until the end of 2001, Hasbro has meddled to a very limited extent with
Wizards, and that meddling has mostly represented issues involving
Pokemon. All of Hasbro's attention has been focused for the past two
years on reducing it's debt (which is currently more than $2 billion).
The former COO at Hasbro was replaced in 2000 by Al Verecchia, who has
been with Hasbro for more than 30 years. Al, unlike the previous Hasbro
COO (who left to run Dial soap), is a guy who understands how to make
money in the toy and game business, and he's been doing a good job
getting Hasbro's business back on track (reflected this year by a
substantial increase in Hasbro's stock price).
Part of Al's message to Vince was simple: Don't let your operating
expenses get out of control based on Pokemon revenue. Pokemon is a fad,
it will end, it will end suddenly, and Hasbro will not tolerate
extensive operating expense-related costs based on supporting the
Pokemon business when that happens. In other words, a reasonble
understanding of the market and the risks of growth.
We had an all hands meeting the week I arrived where the whole staff
(except those overseas) gathered in the space which is now dedicated to
four offices and a conference room.
That staff included everyone who had designed and built the Magic brand,
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, Netrunner and BattleTech TCG. It also
included the whole design and development team from TSR, all the poeple
working in new brands and licensing, the DCI, the convention management
group, the staff of WotC's periodicals department, plus all the
administrative staff necessary to run the company. In other words, all
the people who were needed to publish Magic, D&D, and support those
games with novels, magazines, web site content, events and organized
play. Oh; and they had me and my staff of seven people too to support
the FRPG games.
When I joined WotC in 1997, the whole company, including international
divisions, represented just over 300 people.
After three rounds of layoffs, and the separation of WotC's
international business, WotC has cut its staff to just over 500 people.
There are only two things that have materially changed for WotC between
then and now: WotC owns and operates a chain of retail stores, and
Pokemon.
Hasbro has reasonably asked WotC to keep its operating expenses under
control. WotC has elected to continue to try to keep every plate it has
spinning, including developing new brands, developing whole new
categories (MODO), and operating a number of administrative activities
in parallel with Hasbro's existing staff. To acheive that, while still
meeting Hasbro's requirements for reduced expenses, it has cut staff,
but asked the remaining people to just work harder to pick up the slack.
And there's no relationship between how succesful a business unit is and
those reductions. The publishing business (RPGs, novels and periodicals)
has exceeded its targets for revenue and profit for three straight
years. It (and probably Magic) are the only parts of the company which
have done so. Rather than keep that nucleous of staff working towards
future gains, however, WotC executives, (who are, remember, the same
people who operated the company prior to the Hasbro buyout) have asked
for across-the-board cuts which have affected every department.
Meanwhile, the people responsible for businesses which have never
achieved their original goals are retained, and shifted from brand to
brand - because that's the only system the WotC executive team has to
keep all the plates spinning.
At some point, Hasbro and WotC need to get on the same page. Either WotC
is going to be allowed to pursue any business that strikes its fancy and
is going to be given the resources to do so, or it is going to be
required to focus on those businesses which derive Hasbro the most
profit and best return on capital invested. Until that happens, I hold
Hasbro blameless of problems at Wizards of the Coast for anything other
than a lack of oversight and control of the WotC management team.
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E questo č msg del mitico Ed Greenwood un po' piů inerente ai FR:
"Fellow Realms fans, I am as upset and worried as many
of you about the potential future of the Realms, and
about the job losses that happened to friends of yours
and mine, who also happen to be talented game
designers whose work we have all enjoyed and admired.
However--and however trite this sounds: life happens.
For whatever reasons, this shrinkage of Wizards of the
Coast was deemed necessary--and I for one would rather
see the producer of D&D, and of the Realms continue to
exist, and continue to put out great products, than
have the whole ship go down, rights to things get sold
or seized piecemeal by creditors or eager buyers, and
the grand old flagship of RPGs fade away.
So let's hold to what we do still have: good Realms
products (he said modestly, having worked on a good
chunk of one of them) still to appear this year, a
healthy slate of novels continuing well into the
future, this forum to trade Realmslore and ideas, and
the WotC website still offering a platform for
dedicated Realms designers inside and outside Wizards
to bring all of us more Realmslore.
DRAGON and DUNGEON are still with us, and one way or
another, I will still find a way to provide Realmslore
for fans, year in and year out.
A leaner, slimmer Wizards might well rebound with a
slimmer but just as good roster of game products for
us all to enjoy in the years ahead. I certainly hope
so. This is a time for as much calm and support as we
can muster. I for one intend that the Realms live
forever, and you can be sure that the folks at Wizards
want it to continue too. If the television series
happens, and gains popularity, you can bet on a
resurgence in novels, game products, and other
tie-ins. We're not dead yet. Stand tall, stand proud,
and speak and act in whatever ways will best keep the
Realms going--please.
It's a GAME, people. I love it and want to spend my
life doing it...but it's a game. Hurtful things you
say to others can never be taken back, and that's
LIFE.
Love,
Ed
The Guy Who Started This Whole World
(standing by to field any and all words you may feel
the need to fling)"
"Okay, then, a P.S.:  :}
I've been through this before, as TSR slowly sank. I'm
not really worried that either D&D or the Realms will
go away; I'm just as troubled as any other Realms fan
that the flow of new Realms stuff might get disrupted,
or slowed, or slackened to a trickle.
However, if I get run over by a bus tomorrow, know
this: there's over a year's worth of my Realmslore
articles handed in for the website and for DRAGON
already, the third Shandril novel is also in, and I'm
hard at work on more stuff.
On the other hand, it's NEVER not a good time to let
folks at Wizards (and me) know what particular lack in
Realms coverage you most want to see filled. It
doesn't guarantee we'll be able to rush forward and
plug that hole, but we always want to know as much as
we can about what you want. Some very kind folks
associated with this list keep me posted constantly,
and although I'm busier than Elminster's pipe these
days, I DO listen. All the time.
Ed the Eversmoking One"
--
Bye.
####################
Giuseppe A.
e-mail: 
gambi...@libero.it
Milano - Italy
IHGGER #7
IHGGDER #33
ICQ: 17082804
####################

hobby gaming industry. Most of them are wrong.
Parole sante. Oh, *QUANTO* sante. Estendibili, tra l' altro,
praticamente a qualsiasi argomento.
.....
[roll... roll... save]
^H^H^H^H^H^H^H
Luca