FFG 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
It’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
Roughly 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.
A 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:
Feb 2020: FFG Slashes More Key Services & Departments
Tacking on even more strange interaction between Asmodee and the consumers, they’ve just updated their return policy for games on their website.
Onethe 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 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. 
At 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
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures. Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including the Adepticon Team Tournament and American Team Tournaments, and is on a first-name basis with almost every major company in the space.
He’s all gaming all the time. With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. He advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1908s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
