In both a YouTube video and email today, tabletop game publisher Warcradle Studios announced that the company had acquired the rights to several properties previously owned by Spartan Games before their shuttering earlier this year. Dystopian Wars, Dystopian Legions, Armoured Clash, Firestorm Armada, Firestorm Planetfall, and Uncharted Seas are now under the Warcradle Studios banner along with Wild West Exodus purchased last year.
While Warcradle Studios has acquired the rights to these properties, it is important to note that Warcradle Studios did not acquire Spartan Games or any of its liabilities. As such, Warcradle is not responsible for fulfilling any owed products such as Kickstarter rewards and miniatures; customers who are owed products need to get in contact either with Rebel Publishing or your payment provider to get a refund. The company received very little actual stock from Rebel Publishing, so looking for a refund may be your best option. Warcradle has also promised to do their best to reach out to Kickstarter backers if they come across any personalized Kickstarter rewards as they take inventory of the stock they’ve received.
Warcradle will also be applying their policy on exclusive miniatures to their new properties as well. Rather than simply make them available to a small number of people during limited windows of opportunity (such as conventions), Warcradle instead makes their exclusive miniatures available for general purchase in the year following their release. For example, the Legendary Raini Niume miniature for Wild West Exodus is currently an exclusive miniature but will be available for general purchase early next year, and a new exclusive will take her place.
Today’s announcement seems to indicate a shift in the tabletop gaming market. With the advent of crowdfunding, a trend began to develop involving small studios creating a new tabletop game, building a community and customer base, then selling the game lock, stock, and barrel to a major publisher. Warcradle seems to be pushing a variant of this method by purchasing games with a small but dedicated player base but lacking company support and re-releasing them with the publisher support they were lacking previously. The company is currently focused on making sure everything is settled and ready before releasing anything for these new games, so don’t expect any new releases for these games until 2018.
