Email I sent Hasbro a year ago

[Decipher]

A year ago, I remembered reading about someone starting a HeroQuest remake petition. So, I decided to send Hasbro this crazy email and they actually sent me an email back. Now this was just a crazy email I sent trying to find some hope....

I wrote:

Dear Customer Service,

In 1991, Milton Bradley made a game called HeroQuest. This game was a huge hit and even today prices for a complete set are high on ebay. Hasbro bought Milton Bradley, so I am here to demand that the Hasbro Board of Directors re-release the HeroQuest game effective immediately! This is not open for debate. There are no terms. You will take this email to the head of project design as soon as you are done reading it. Go now, go right now. Make those suits listen to our pleas. We need Heroquest. I myself am a Hero and I am on a quest, therefor I need Heroquest. Help me on my quest Mr. or Ms. Customer Service Rep. you're our only hope. Say it with me: HeroQuest, HeroQuest, HeroQuest.

PS: I know you're still setting there! Go spread the word, HeroQuest needs to be re-born!

Hasbro wrote back:

Hi Decipher,

Thank you for contacting Hasbro Customer Service regarding Hero Quest. I certainly appreciate your interest and love for the game!
There are no plans at this time to re-produce that game.
However, I will most definitely share your interest with the appropriate personnel. I'm saying it with you "Hero Quest, Hero Quest, Hero Quest"!
Now I'm going to end this email so that I can spread the word!

Thanks again for your interest!
Susan D.
Hasbro Customer Support

You guys think there could be a real chance of them re-releasing HQ?

[Daedalus]

Well, I consider myself an optimist, so yes. In support, I offer two items:

The Hero Quest petition has gathered a lot more signatures than the Heroscape petition. It now languishes just under the halfway mark: 1,190 signatures, 1,310 still needed at the time of this post. It could be pushed past this psychological barrier if some of the unconverted HQ fan sites in certain countries would join in. (The Italians rejuvenated the petition by jumping the total more than two hundred signatures in a couple of weeks.) Most sites have already added significant support, but getting past halfway means the number of needed signatures is more concretely seen as decreasing (the bar graph with the petition shows this). The combination of several hundred extra signatures from as yet unconverted countries and a shrinking net amount to complete the petition might be enough to provide further momentum and complete it. Like I said, I'm an optimist.

The other item is anecdotal, as I can no longer find the original thread (really). I remember a couple of years back reading about someone (Skyknight? Truth?) connected close to the heads of the games research division at Hasbro. These company insiders were superfans recruited from the Heroscapers site. When asked if Hero Quest could ever be brought back into production in some form, the reply from one was characterized as a whistful "We'd love to see that happen, but the right people have to be convinced first. I'd say chances are 50/50." That was only quoted from memory, but I'll never forget it--50/50! That response has made a believer out of me.

A completed petition with 2,500 signatures might be just the thing to create notice and help convince corporate that Hero Quest could again be supported by a viable market supplemented with a nostalgia niche. Those friendly to the cause already work at Hasbro. If we don't get the game back, let it not be for lack of effort on our part. I commend you on your letter campaign. If Hasbro had gotten 1,190 of those, I'm pretty sure we'd be posting about the new game on the shelves.

[Decipher]

Well, I was wondering if you guys think the trademark and copyright properties could have maybe been shared between Milton Bradley and Game Workshop and that maybe those rights might not have transferred with the purchase of Milton Bradley to Hasbro. I have noticed that pretty much all of the properties owned by other companies that Hasbro has purchased have been re-released by Hasbro as new games. Just wondering if Game Workshop might be partial owners to this day making Hasbro think twice about recouping the loss of obtaining those rights from GW.

I know this, the games here in the states are reprints of 40 year old games and Hasbro doesnt seem to be releasing original games now a days. Might force their hand and they might re-release HQ...

[Sjeng]

I like your style haha, good letter. Also nice to see that Susan appreciates it too. I believe there are other threads here about copyrights and re-releases.

[Patroclus]

loooool, thumbs up for your letter! Hasbro should stop producing firby bulls**ts and get to work for some serious games as she did in her past...

[The Road Warrior]

lol. Nice letter and a half decent response.

Personally I'm not sure I want HeroQuest to be re-released. What would we get out of it?

• A few new minis maybe?
  I'm not sure we need them as there are plenty of companies producing compatible miniatures we can use for the game.
• The original miniatures in production again?
  There are members of the forum who are already creating very good quality replicas of the original miniatures
• A new storyline or quest pack?
  I think it's more likely they would just re-release the original quest packs. At least we might be able to get a copy of the rarer expansion packs without paying ridiculous prices.
• An updated look to the game?
  Well there was a very good updated version in development that Hasbro recently put a stop to (It looked great but I think I prefer the original)

Don't misunderstand me, I love the game. Why else would I be here?
I just have no burning desire to see the game in print again.

But then that's selfish of me as there are many, many children growing up who do not know this game ever existed.

Which brings me to the only good reason I can think of for Hasbro to re-release HQ and that is watching my children play the game and seeing how much they enjoy it. It really is a great game that the whole family can enjoy and I think everyone should have the opportunity to rediscover it.

[Decipher]

@The Road Warrior: You said it right at the end. A whole new generation of kids, hundreds of thousands if not a few million getting to experience HeroQuest for the first time. Personally, I wouldnt have any use for it, but look at the crap they have on the game isle now a days. Nothing but crap. Half the "family" games are T.V. show trivia stuff.

Besides, I know the price of the HQ stuff on ebay would take a hit and as a diehard HQ consumer, thats a good thing.

[torilen]

I haven't weighed in on any of the "re-printing heroquest" threads...so here are my thoughts.
I have the original base game, though I am missing a piece here and there...some of my minis
are missing hands, and the board is warped. So, yeah, I would probably go for buying a new
box set...if it wasn't outrageously expensive.

(by the by...have you seen the price on Wizards of the coast games...owned by Hasbro, mind you...
we're talking $50-$60 for a board game...really?!)

I would like to be able to get the expansions without cutting off all my limbs and selling them for
research. So that would be nice.

Would it be the same as owning the originals? No. It'd be more nostalgic than anything else. I'd like to
say I'm a HQ collector, and would like to have the originals over re-prints...but who am I kidding. I'll never
have the money to blow on that stuff.

The only problem I could really foresee would be this. For those who do own the originals...or those who want
to get the originals...Hasbro would have to change things enough on the re-prints, or have something on all of
the re-print pieces, to show that they are, in fact, re-prints. And I doubt they would do that. SO...people who want
to get the originals would have no way of knowing if they really are the old pieces or not.

[bastianbux]

• An updated look to the game?
  Well there was a very good updated version in development that Hasbro recently put a stop to (It looked great but I think I prefer the original)

Oh? That sounds interesting, I'd love to see what was done on that.

[Sjeng]

check heroquestfrance's blog. The site is still there, but no download links. It's called HeroQuest Remaster.
http://heroquest-reloaded.blogspot.nl/