Paizo Publishing has announced the licensing of their award winning property Pathfinder the Roleplaying Game to Dynamite Comics.
This move comes after a series of successes for the company throughout the latter part of 2011. Pathfinder tied with Dungeons & Dragons as the best selling RPG and released a sustained novel line entitled Pathfinder Tales, a Beginner Box Launch for new players, new Pathfinder Battle miniatures through Wizkids and announced an upcoming MMORPG by the newly formed Goblinworks company. Now they’ll add a new comic book line from Dynamite Comics, set to release during summer 2012.
“We are thrilled to be working with Dynamite on a new Pathfinder comic,” said Erik Mona, Publisher at Paizo. “Dynamite’s proven record with licensed properties and their ability to attract top creative talent to their books make them a natural fit for Pathfinder, and we can’t wait to see how they explore the Pathfinder world!”
Dynamic Comics have published the Game of Thrones, Army of Darkness, Battlestar Galactica, Green Hornet, and Just A Pilgrim comics. Publisher Nick Barucci commented:
“When we sat down and first started speaking with Paizo, the excitement that Erik had for Pathfinder was amazing, and the success he and his team have had is well earned. We’re proud to be working with them to help bring Pathfinder to the comics market, and to bring our comics to their market. It’s the best of both worlds. This is the start of a great working relationship.”
Many Pathfinder fans hope Dynamite Comics’ upcoming line will make use of Pathfinder’s iconic characters, who have resonated beyond the classes they are ment to resonate in the game. Another challenge Dynamite faces is keeping true to the feel of Pathfinder’s unique setting of Golarion, as the highly-detailed, magical world is as much a character as the iconic ones for fans of the game line. Some fans fear the move threatens Paizo’s reputation for safeguarding their properties and protecting their intellectual integrity, but the company has a history of transparency and creative interaction with their fans. They are also one of the first companies to openly play-test their material.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Pathfinder RPG line, and Paizo’s ten-year anniversary as a company. Before publishing Pathfinder, Paizo was responsible for publishing Dungeon and Dragon magazines. The Washington-based company has a long history of successful products in the tabletop market.