Pyramid Interview: Peter Adkison

by Scott D. Haring

Peter Adkison, CEO of Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast had the biggest news story of the GAMA Trade Show, announcing the formation of a new Miniatures Division, and the hiring of Bob Watts (formerly FASA/Ral Partha, and Heartbreaker Hobbies before that) to run the operation. "He was the best person outside Games Workshop," Wizards CEO Peter Adkison said. "It was so important to find someone like Bob Watts . . . the decision to start a miniatures division depended on it.

Adkison said the primary focus of the new division would be to support the roleplaying line, and that means AD&D miniatures. "We think the time has come to do it in-house," he said. Stepping up to Games Workshop-esque high-dollar, big-boxes-of-miniatures-type games is also a possibility, but one Adkison said they were not going to jump into right away.

Adkison sat down with Pyramid editor Scott Haring at the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas last month. Here's what else he had to say:

Pyramid: What's new on the card side? Pokemon was a big hit -- are you looking for the next big hit, or are you going to ride what you have for a while?

Adkison: I think it's important to stay focused. Right now, we're doing very well with our trading card games. Magic: The Gathering sales are up this year over last, and last year they were up over the previous year, so Magic: The Gathering is going really, really strong for us, and we're very happy about that. Legend of the Five Rings is doing extremely well, and Pokemon is, of course, . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.



Article publication date: April 9, 1999

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