Dark Horse closes three Things From Another World stores in Oregon and California. The move responds to a restructuring of its parent company Fellowship Entertainment, which seeks to modernize the company. The new plan prioritizes the entertainment and video game divisions, leaving behind physical retail commerce as part of a strategic shift in the organization.
Fellowship Entertainment bets on digital development 🎮
The reorganization of Fellowship Entertainment pushes Dark Horse toward a model centered on digital licenses and video games. The company is expected to optimize its resources in intellectual property, leaving physical distribution behind. This move reflects an industry trend: reducing operational costs in retail to invest in interactive platforms and transmedia content, although the store closures leave collectors without their usual point of sale.
Goodbye to stores, hello to board games 🎲
It seems Dark Horse prefers to sell digital lightsabers rather than Hellboy t-shirts. Collectors in Oregon will have to look for their comics elsewhere, while the company dives into developing video games. At least, the layoffs will be more bearable if employees console themselves by thinking that now they can buy their action figures online, with slow shipping and without the charm of a physical store.