ICE CEASES THE PRODUCTION AND SALE OF MIDDLE-EARTH PRODUCTS
21 September 1999
Effective 22 September 1999, ICE will no longer be filling orders for Middle-earth products. Iron Crown Enterprises ("ICE") has ceased the production and sale of its Middle-earth series of games, puzzles, and posters.
After working together for 18 years, ICE and Tolkien Enterprises have agreed to part ways. Tolkien Enterprises will be acquiring all of ICE's inventory and work product. As the licensor of Middle-earth games and the forthcoming motion picture series, they will be reorganizing and reorienting the program. ICE will be assisting them to make sure that there is a smooth transition.
With this and ICE filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection I can't help but think it's all over.
After hacking through the undergrowth 'S. Sangar' emerged to utter the unforgettable lines...
> With this and ICE filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection > I can't help but think it's all over.
Nope, it's just beginning -- with the eventual release of the LotR films (about Christmas 2001?) there is a fantastic opportunity for developing the product line and getting new people in.
But it has to happen.
(check out http://www.lordoftherings.net/ for some visuals for the film. Some of the casting is just brilliant Ian Holm as Bilbo, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Ian McKellen as Gandalf and I just got the Radio 4 tapes for my birthday [Ian Holm as Frodo] -- Xenite.org has the best round-up on this
The same potential exists for the X-Men film (Ian McKellen as Magneto [busy guy], Patrick Stewart as Prof X, -- try http://www.comicgas.com/ for this one)
I can see the tagline now: Don't dream it, be it.
(Now where did I hear that before... ;-)
-- ______________________________________________________________________ | | | Steve Turnbull, Publisher publis...@visions-mag.com | | | | Visions Role-Playing Games Web-Mag http://www.visions-mag.com | | Published by Tau Press http://www.tau-press.com | | | | Tau Press, Media House, Adlington Park, Macclesfield, SK10 4NP, UK | |______________________________________________________________________|
In article <e225814549.publis...@acornuser.idg.co.uk>, Steve Turnbull <publis...@visions-mag.com> writes
>(check out http://www.lordoftherings.net/ for some visuals for the film. Some >of the casting is just brilliant Ian Holm as Bilbo, Christopher Lee as >Saruman, Ian McKellen as Gandalf and I just got the Radio 4 tapes for my >birthday [Ian Holm as Frodo] -- Xenite.org has the best round-up on this
-- ______________________________________________________________________ | | | Steve Turnbull, Publisher publis...@visions-mag.com | | | | Visions Role-Playing Games Web-Mag http://www.visions-mag.com | | Published by Tau Press http://www.tau-press.com | | | | Tau Press, Media House, Adlington Park, Macclesfield, SK10 4NP, UK | |______________________________________________________________________|
In article <e225814549.publis...@acornuser.idg.co.uk> publis...@visions-mag.com "Steve Turnbull" writes:
> After hacking through the undergrowth > 'S. Sangar' emerged to utter the unforgettable lines...
> > With this and ICE filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection > > I can't help but think it's all over.
> Nope, it's just beginning -- with the eventual release of the LotR films > (about Christmas 2001?) there is a fantastic opportunity for developing the > product line and getting new people in.
I think he meant it was the end for ICE.
I don't know. If ICE expected this, and the WEG/Star Wars case should have been a big warning flag, maybe they've factored this in to their Chapter 11 recovery plans.
BTW, "Tolkien Enterprises" is nothing to do with the Tolkien Family, and the stories which were around in Tolkien fandom, in the early Eighties, suggest the company owns pretty well all the rights, except for publishing the actual books. And it looks as though a lot of new spin- off products are in the works.
-- David G. Bell -- Farmer, SF Fan, Filker, and Punslinger.
In article <938004203...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk>, David G. Bell <db...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <e225814549.publis...@acornuser.idg.co.uk> > publis...@visions-mag.com "Steve Turnbull" writes: [...] >> Nope, it's just beginning -- with the eventual release of the LotR films >> (about Christmas 2001?) there is a fantastic opportunity for developing the >> product line and getting new people in. [...] >it looks as though a lot of new spin- >off products are in the works.
I have a friend who has been designing figures to be released with the film (if not beforehand). At least some of the spin-off products will be for gaming (even if it is miniature gaming rather than RPG).
> >it looks as though a lot of new spin- > >off products are in the works.
> I have a friend who has been designing figures to be released with the > film (if not beforehand). At least some of the spin-off products will be > for gaming (even if it is miniature gaming rather than RPG).
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