WizKids

WizKids is the company behind the 'Clix games (HeroClix, HorrorClix, HaloClix, etc.), Mage Knight, MechWarrior, and Quarriors.

Founded in 1999, the company had a revenue of about 33 million per year within a few years. They did this primarily with HeroClix, which more-or-less created the "collectible miniatures game." It combined pre-painted miniatures, the "collect 'em all" marketing strategy behind Magic: The Gathering, and a simple skirmish combat system (including its signature clicky bases that recorded stats and damage). However, WizKids endured great criticism from the rapidly-shrinking but highly vocal pencil-and-paper RPG fanbase. Of course, this didn't matter much, since WizKids was more commercially successful than literally dozens of RPG publishers combined. Not since Magic had anything from the gaming industry escaped the niche market of traditional gaming.

Jordan Weisman and a few other investors sold WizKids to TOPPS (a baseball card manufacturer) for nearly $30 million in cash in 2003. Topps, however, failed to procure the kinds of IP that would interest the collectible miniatures fanbase, as WizKids originally had. Instead, Topps attempted brands such as Creapy Freaks and MLB SportsClix, both of which were total failures. Topps finally killed the golden goose and shut down WizKids in November of 2008.

And then NECA bought WizKids, so they're back. Since the purchase, they've continued to produce HeroClix, as well as putting out a few new games, including Quarriors (essentially a dice-based version of Dominion) and Vlaada Chvatil's new Mage Knight board game, which is gloriously and needlessly overly elaborately complex.