A new update from Paizo gives a look at the ongoing effects of Diamond Comic Distributor’s bankruptcy on the tabletop industry at large.
Earlier this year, one of the biggest distributors in the tabletop space, Diamond Comic Distributors, announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As part of the proceedings, DCD, which owns tabletop distributing giant Alliance Distributors, declared it would be selling off various parts of its business. And while letters of intent were filed for the purchase of the wayward distribution branch, the bankruptcy has proved to be rougher sailing than Diamond anticipated.
According to a recent blog post by Paizo, “hundreds of game publishers” will be caught up in the bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what this means for you.
Diamond Comic Distributors
The long and the short of it is, Paizo’s major releases, starting in August, won’t be available in major bookstores or on Amazon. This is likely to be a huge blow for the company, but it seems unavoidable as Diamond’s bankruptcy proceedings move forward.
According to a blog post titled “Diamond Bankruptcy Update” on Paizo’s blog, the company has already stopped shipping products to Diamond. Starting in August, any major release will not be available in retailers/book stores/Amazon. This includes the upcoming Pathfinder: Battlecry! and the new edition of Starfinder.
The impact of this is difficult to predict. Especially since, as Paizo puts it, “hundreds of game publishers” had previously partnered with Diamond to get their products into the book trade. Here’s a look at the update on Paizo’s blog:
“Paizo has stopped shipping products to Diamond. This means that our August releases will not be widely available at major bookstores or on Amazon. While these sites will likely continue to list products for sale or preorder, most orders for these titles will not be able to be fulfilled. To stay up to date with your collection, please stop by your favorite local game store and ask them to order our upcoming releases, purchase them directly here on paizo.com, or sign up for one of our subscriptions.
We expect Pathfinder and Starfinder products to remain unavailable through book trade channels for several months as Paizo determines our next steps and this matter works its way through the bankruptcy court. The best thing you can do to help Paizo and the 100+ publishers caught up in the Diamond bankruptcy is to order from them directly or go to your local game store and ask them to preorder upcoming releases so you’ll have them on launch day.”
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Paizo expects that Pathfinder and Starfinder books will remain available through various book trade channels while the venerable tabletop company decides what its next steps are. Hopefully, Paizo can weather the storm, and still find its audience. But I worry especially for companies that are smaller, and don’t have the structure to deal with publishing/distribution hardships.
As Paizo puts it, the best thing you can do to support your favorite tabletop company is to buy directly from the source (the company’s website, if they have one), or to order them specifically from your FLGS.
More on the Diamond story as it unfolds!
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