Milestone

A purchase order I received by e-mail this morning put us over the top: Our gross sales this year have now beaten the year 2000, even though we still don't yet have Gloom. This is a great accomplishment for us, because 2000 was the best year for Atlas sales since the CCG boom and the big sales of On the Edge in 1994-1995. While 2000 was a generally good year, enjoying a general surge in roleplaying sales with the renaissance led by D&D 3rd Edition, our numbers were obviously boosted by being at the front of the line for the d20/OGL phenomenon, with Three Days to Kill and the beginnings of the Penumbra line. This year our strong performance was driven by a more diverse product line than ever: supplementary products for our perennial bestsellers (Sticks & Stones and Beer Money for Lunch Money; Dark Tales and Create-Your-Own Storytelling Cards for Once Upon A Time), the growing line of Dungeoneer games, new stand-alone card games like Cthulhu 500 (and we're still hoping for Gloom before year-end), and of course the rebirth of Ars Magica in its Fifth Edition.

It's not quite time for the year-end retrospectives, but since we just passed this marker I figured I'd make a note of it. I'd especially like to express my gratitude to the folks who slaved away here in the Atlas offices this year -- Scott Reeves, Will Hindmarch, and Michelle Nephew -- and to Jerry Corrick, who takes care of so many essential but not-very-fun things like taxes and insurance. Without their hard work the success of this year would not have been possible.