Posted on GTS' public website and referenced on Facebook, so it's not some state secret...

quote:

The Big Bang Theory Trading Cards Season 5 and Binder Set – Releasing Late October / early November, 2013
Adventure Time Dog Tags – Releasing November, 2013
Adventure Time Playpaks – Releasing November, 2013
Archer Trading Cards Seasons 1-4 and Binder Set – Releasing December, 2013
Revenge Trading Cards Season 1 – Releasing December, 2013
The Vampire Diaries Trading Cards Season 3 – Releasing January, 2014
Sons of Anarchy Trading Cards Seasons 1-3 – Releasing January, 2014
Downton Abbey Trading Cards Seasons 1 & 2 – Releasing Q1, 2014
The Walking Dead Trading Cards Season 3 Part 1 Hobby - Releasing Q1, 2014
The Walking Dead Trading Cards Season 3 Part 1 Retail Releasing Q1, 2014
Once Upon a Time Season 1 Trading Cards - Releasing Q1, 2014
Breaking Bad Trading Cards Seasons 1-5 – Releases Q1 2014
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trading Cards – Releasing Q1, 2014
Fringe Trading Cards Season 5 – Releasing Q2, 2014

Missing from this is both Ender's Game and Pacific Rim, both of which had autograph signers listed as contracted on Miranda's blog post.

Now, if you look closely, there are 8 First Quarter 2014 releases. The quarter has 12 weeks. That's more than 1 release every 2 weeks.

Even if they CAN pull off that schedule, I'm not sure they SHOULD. Both dealers and collectors need time to recoup funds and absorb what was just released. Many of the 'marginal' releases will get ignored and will end up on the discount shelf.

I'll grab a beer, this is going to get interesting...

Ed

Too bad that The Hobbit is 2014 now, I told my wife I wanted a box for Xmas Now I might not be able to pick up any at all, it might be coming too close to the Star Trek Into Darkness set.

I would have been interested in Fringe, but out of the 2 boxes of seasons 1/2 and 3 boxes of seasons 3/4, I managed to pull three Ryan McDonald autographs. I am not a fan of their collation, and (no offense to Mr. McDonald) I am not able to spend $60 to pull a $4 autograph anymore.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jason00,

I am only interested in 5 of those sets and am glad to have the time to save up some money. I have a limited supply of "fun" money per paycheck with 2 kids and a mortgage which means I have to budget months ahead to buy all the sets I want. I also need to budget money to spend at the Chicago Non-sports Card show which will be during the beginning of Q2.

If Cryptozoic actually does start releasing products every two weeks,it is probable that I will end up buying less of each set I'm interested in.

I do love that they are thinking big!

I wasn't paying that close of attention when Inkworks went under, but wasn't part of their problem releasing sets for movies/shows that didn't do well? Cryptozoic has already released a number of sets that are selling well below what I assume cost was.

I don't blame them for wanting to make lots of sets and earn lots of money (especially with the death of the WoW TCG, though I'm not sure how much that was making them since they ended it). But producing so many sets, many of which appear to me to have a limited consumer base seems risky.

Obviously I don't have any insight into their inner workings. And I'm not trying to be Debbie downer here. I just want them to stay around and keep producing the stuff that I really enjoy!

One of the things that hurt Inkworks was definitely a number of licenses they picked up that ended up under performing. Sadly, it seems if they would have been able to hold on just a little bit longer to produce more Twilight sets they may have been ok... speculation, of course.

Regardless. . .

Crypto has 2 things theoretically going for them in this instance. . . First they are first and foremost a gaming company. . . Note the 'games' tab is the first tab on their website. . . also click that games tab and notice they are producing games for Walking Dead, Batman, Big Bang, Ender's Game, The Hobbit, DC Comics, Castle etc. . . so they have multiple income streams for a license (which could also be a good thing when negotiating for a license.

Also, the way their distribution seems to be working means that from Crypto's standpoint every release is seemingly a sell out. . . As long as they keep producing block buster sets like Walking Dead and Big Bang theory the dealers will continue to buy up sets they can't sell well as loss leaders so they can get good allocations on the winners. . .

The downside is that it's sort of a high risk game. . . as soon as there isn't a Walking Dead or Big Bang driving sales of their other products they may stop selling out at the distribution level as the dealers won't buy sets like Alphas anymore . . . My gut feeling is that a lot of players in this game on the buying side are flippers and speculators who will be very quick to move on as soon as they aren't making money. . . That's why it's particularly distressing to me to hear that regular non-sport card dealers are having trouble buying certain product. . .

Count me in as one of the small dealers who will be buying considerably less of their products than I would have before they changed their distribution policy. I refuse to take a bath on products that I know will not sell just to get the "big 2".

The only ones that I will likely get are Downton Abbey, Once Upon a Time and possibly The Hobbit.

Release calendar from Blowout.

03/31/2014 Downton Abbey Seasons 1-2 Trading Cards (Cryptozoic) - Box
03/31/2014 Downton Abbey Seasons 1-2 Trading Cards (Cryptozoic)-12 Box Case
03/31/2014 Once Upon A Time Season 1 T/C (Cryptozoic) - 12 Box Case
03/31/2014 Once Upon A Time Season 1 T/C (Cryptozoic) - Box
03/31/2014 The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey T/C (Cryptozoic) - 12 Box Case
03/31/2014 The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey T/C (Cryptozoic) - Box
03/31/2014 The Walking Dead Season 3: Part 1 (Cryptozoic) 12 Box Case
03/31/2014 The Walking Dead Season 3: Part 1 (Cryptozoic) Box
Interesting that walking dead is released on the same day as these other ones.

Surely 4 sets wouldn't be released on the same day

All they did is take everything that says Q1 and put the very last day of the quarter on it.

If history is any judge, ain't gonna happen.

Aren't most of their products delayed anyway?