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Gaming Giant FFG Slashes More Key Services & Departments

ffg-fantasy-flight-games-parts-replacmentFFG just announced they are slashing their parts replacement program, as more details emerge that the RPG studio department may have been shut down as well.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first troubling thing we’ve heard from the Asmodee/FFG front. With big layoffs just reported there, and now a policy change concerning how customers return their product, we’re not exactly sure of the mentality of the company.

Let’s take a look at the latest:

Summer 2019: First Signs of Trouble? Trade Sales Team Office Closed

asmodee emailIt’s also worth noting that last summer an email was sent to LGS’s that purchased FFG’s products at the wholesale level. It looks like their sales department has closed permanently and now their products are available to retailers through the mail Alliance Games Distributors Channels.

This was the first sign of trouble at the company last summer and may have been the first round of  “fat trimming” at the company.

Fall 2019: FFG Directly Selling Products on Amazon For Way Less

ffg huge amazon saleRoughly around the same time as everything above was spotted making rounds across the web, FFG was spotted directly selling their products on Amazon for WAY less than what you might normally pay for in a store.

We’ve covered the sale in an earlier post and it’s important to note that some products have since dropped in price even more. Nobody really knows what’s going on here. 

Huge FFG Sale: Over 50% Off Star Wars, Board Games, & More!

Jan 2020: Departments Closing & Layoffs Reported

As of publishing time, neither FFG or Asmodee has commented publicly about any sort of layoffs or restructuring. Affected employees have taken to forums such as Reddit, and Linkedin to address the situation, however.

According to former FFG Employee Sam Bailey layoffs have occurred to both the Fantasy Flight Interactive and RPG departments.

star wars edge of the empire ffg rpgA large amount of people have been laid off from Fantasy Flight Games and Fantasy Flight Interactive.

Fantasy Flight Interactive is set to be closed down completely.

Most, if not all, the RPG department has been laid off.

Numerous other employees have been cut in a large reorganization of the entire studio following the departure of several key members of the company that have been there for years.

Head of FFI Tim Gerritson has confirmed that department’s layoffs on Linkedin and was looking to help his team land on their feet:

ffg-fantasy-flight-games-layoffs (2)

Feb 2020: FFG Slashes More Key Services & Departments

asmodee walTacking on even more strange interaction between Asmodee and the consumers, they’ve just updated their return policy for games on their website. 

asmodee parts and replacements faqOnethe bright side, you can still return your product if anything is missing to a physical store or even an online store (like Amazon).

However, the rough part is that:

#1 The store assumes responsibility for the defective/missing product which in theory can hurt local business/small gaming shops if they can’t get a replacement game themselves from FFG.

#2, You have to turn in your entire game. That means that if you’ve already painted models or devoted time into customizing the pieces in your game, it all has to go back to the manufacturer if you want a missing item.

asmodee parts and replacements faq 2Asmodee did give some reasoning behind why this change is happening, which is more of a description than anything we got for the changes covered above. Ultimately, their reasoning boils down the difficulty that comes with keeping loose product solely for replacements (which takes up space, cost of materials, and labor). While one could argue that it “makes sense” from a business perspective, it can also be a blow for the consumer, and retalier alike.

Users on some gaming forums like Boardgame Geek’s haven’t been holding back the punches on their opinions for the change. Check out what some of these gamers had to say. asmodee forum

 

asmodee forum 2At the end of the day, we can all probably agree that there has been some very odd and nearly-unexplained behavior coming from Asmodee/FFG over the last several months. Hopefully, this is the last of the bad news from them.

So with all of this covered, what do you think the reasoning for rumored department closures could be? Is the company struggling?

Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!

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About the Author: Rob Baer

Virginia Restless, Miniature Painter & Cat Dad. I blame LEGOs. There was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all... Twitter @catdaddymbg