Munchkin - Mass Market And The Hobby

Sometimes, we get questions about whether having Munchkin in the mass market (Barnes & Noble, Target, etc.) is hurting the line in the hobby stores.

The answer is easy and definite: Absolutely not.

It is true that hobby sales of the specific items being pushed in the mass market are slightly down. However, this is counterbalanced (and more!) by the dramatic upswing we have seen in sales of Munchkin expansions, the vast majority of which are sold through the traditional hobby market. In 2013, combined Munchkin/Legends/Deluxe sales were up 29.10% over 2012. Impressive -- but Munchkin 2 sales in 2013 were up 32.64% over 2012, and Munchkin 3 was up 28.00%. Munchkin has legs, and those legs are driving people to hobby stores.

Furthermore, every Munchkin game sold in the mass market (and, in fact, anywhere else) includes an ad on the side of the box AND a paragraph in the rules pointing people to our Store Finder/Gamer Finder page, to find other Munchkin fans (who are our best marketing tool!) and telling them where to look if they want to buy more Munchkin stuff.

Steve Jackson Games continues to be committed to supporting all our sales and distribution partners, and that most definitely includes hobby stores.

If you're a store owner or employee going to the GAMA Trade Show, be sure to attend Phil Reed's presentation; he'll have a lot more to say about this, as well as the overall state of the company (spoiler alert: we're doing very well).