WizKids, manufacturers of the innovative, category-defining collectible miniatures game Mage Knight (see, 'December Product of the Month'), announced an agreement to create a CMG featuring the characters from DC Comics.  The starter sets will include painted plastic figures of DC Universe heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.  Each figure will have a combat dial in its base, which makes for ease of game play, one of the secrets to the success of WizKids' Mage Knight. 

 

Another key to the success of collectible miniatures games is the seeding of rare figures in booster packs and expansions, a device borrowed from collectible card games.  The DC Universe provides a wealth of characters that will support lots of product expansions, especially since characters from the Wildstorm comics will also be included in this yet-to-be-named game.

 

The DC Comics CMG will give WizKids two distinct product lines.  How close can the company come to duplicating its success with Mage Knight? The DC Universe should provide a potentially strong fan base for the game, but WizKids will have to interest comic book fans in playing a tabletop miniatures combat game. The starter sets could sell just on the appeal of the miniatures of legendary DC characters alone, but the success of subsequent boosters and expansions will depend more and more on developing a large base of people who enjoy playing the game.  

 

WizKids is planning to launch its superhero miniatures game late in the spring of 2002, but approval problems or delays in overseas manufacturing could easily push the game's debut into summer.