[HOE] Re: [DL] Rant!

[Dirk <darklord@dark-sky.net>]

Here's the post from the Deadlands List:

Steve Peterson wrote:

> >   I must say I'm very disappointed with Cybergames.net
> >handling of Pinnacle. For the product delays,
> >cancellations,rescheduling and not supporting the web
> >page.  I have always thought (and continue to do so)
> >that the people at Pinnacle are top notch, but I now
> >I'm a bit burned out by by all the Cybergame changes
> >and I've yet to see one that's good.
> >   I had hoped that the D20 deadlands book would have
> >been published (Pinnacle could have struck while the
> >iron was hot!) and I think it would have drawn more
> >people into Pinnacle's great games.
> >   I have lost a lot of enthusiasm with the delay of
> >Lost Colony (and so have my players).
> >   I remember the first year or so of Deadlands when we
> >didn't see any new material and hope we don't return
> >to those days.
> >   Deadlands is a great game and I fear its demise (I
> >hope I'm wrong) because us gamers are a fickle bunch
> >and are always seeking new and fresh material.
> >   Having said all this,perhaps pinnacle has spoiled us
> >in the past, with their great support and always
> >willing to give us their ear. I think this has caused
> >us to have a sense of loyalty towards Pinnacle and a
> >more earnest desire to support this great game.
> >Looking over errors in spelling and grammar (I know
> >this is probable full of errors, but your not paying
> >for it).
> >   I will probable still buy Pinnacle's products, but
> >unless things change, it will be will be with the
> >extra money I have left over after buying other gaming
> >products (still haven't pick up Collegium).  Because,
> >unfortunatly I've lost my enthusiasm.
> >                                    Horace Black
>
> I'd like to clear up some misunderstandings about what's been going
> on with Pinnacle since its acquisition by Cybergames.com. We've been
> trying to make Pinnacle work at its best, and that's required (and
> continues to require) a lot of changes because of Pinnacle's
> situation at the time we acquired it.  We're trying to get the
> product line and the release schedule on an appropriate track, and to
> schedule an exciting lineup of new Deadlands products for the coming
> year. But this all has to be done with one eye on the bottom line,
> because if we can't put out products that are profitable, at some
> point there won't be any more products, which no one wants to see.
>
> We're planning for a regular monthly release schedule in 2001 and
> beyond. The number of products depends to some extent on what the
> market will accept; retailers, distributors and customers will not
> necessarily buy as many products as you can possibly put out. (Marvel
> Comics learned this the hard way, putting out so many different X-Men
> comics and Spiderman comics every month that they lost much of their
> audience through sheer exhaustion!) We want to see Pinnacle producing
> the best Deadlands products it can, not the most Deadlands products
> it can produce.
>
> There have been a lot of things going on behind the scenes that are
> just beginning to bear fruit. For instance, we are now featuring a
> number of Pinnacle e-books in our online store. These are older
> products that have been out of print for a while, and we've brought
> them back as inexpensive PDF files that you can read on screen or
> print out as you wish. We're working on a complete re-do of the
> Pinnacle web site, but that's a big task... there are many, many
> files on there, and a lot of material to organize. Check out the Hero
> Games web site (at www.herogames.com) to see what we've done with
> that so far.
>
> We're planning more electronic products for Pinnacle, as well as
> continuing to support the paper products line. Oh, and the Great Rail
> Wars miniatures will be releasing from Emperors Choice soon, with
> some terrific new packaging (and some excellent pricing to go with
> them).
>
> So there is a lot going on. I want to reassure Deadlands fans that
> Cybergames.com is committed  producing high-quality Deadlands
> products, and we'll continue to do so. Look for Waste Warriors to
> appear later this month. In a few weeks we'll announce our schedule
> of upcoming products, and as the year progresses we should be
> announcing things further in advance.
>
> I appreciate all the support you've given Pinnacle in the past, and I
> hope you'll continue to have fun with Pinnacle products in the
> future. It's our intent to produce the best gaming products we can
> for your enjoyment.
>
> -- Steve Peterson
> VP, Product Development & Marketing, Cybergames.com
>
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