05:28 PM: Mike Sugarbaker says...
SJG stops hitting itself in the head with tiny pewter hammers

There's no permanent URL for it that we can find, so we've pasted it below: Steve Jackson Games is closing its miniatures department, effective at the end of the month. As always, Steve's honesty and directness in corporate communications is unrivalled and appreciated - "[t]he reason for the shutdown is simple: the division has been, ever since it was set up, the least profitable of our endeavors." Read on for the complete release.

Steve Jackson's press release text follows

At the end of this month, SJ Games will close down its miniatures operation. During that time, we plan to cast enough metal to allow for expected sales through the end of 2003; after that, the lines will probably go out of print.

I say "probably," because we would certainly discuss licensing the figures to another company. We will welcome inquiries. (Or if somebody out there has been wanting to set up a small casting operation near Austin, that could be very interesting!)

The reason for the shutdown is simple: the division has been, ever since it was set up, the least profitable of our endeavors. Costs are high, and while some miniatures sets have been modest hits . . . overall, we would be far better off if we put the time, space, thought, and money into our other projects. It really seems that metal casting should be left either to companies which concentrate on that one thing, or which are big enough to create a minis division that is essentially its own independent operation.

I’m personally very proud of the work that we did here. It’s been a great privilege to have Richard Kerr as a sculptor, and the whole team, headed by Paul Chapman, has worked hard to release some really quality stuff. But it’s time to call it quits. Our thanks to those of you who have supported us by buying our figures and telling us you liked them. Ah, if only there had been more of you!

Over the next month we’ll release the last of the figures and vehicles Richard has already sculpted, including:

* Doppelsoldner
* Ogre Vulcan
* Ogre Vulcan Heavy Drone
* Ogre Ninja
* Ogrethulhu Swimmer
* Munchkin Maul Rat
* Munchkin Troll
* and a great number of Off The Wall Armies figures.

If you represent an established miniatures company, or have a credible startup plan, and you would like to discuss some or all of our figures, please contact Paul Chapman.