General

[Azzy]

Originally Posted by teamCR

I agree with the "will not miss the slogans" theme and don't use any of their stuff, however is this the beginning of the small companies closing up? Or was it just too much spending money too quickly- poor buisness. how do you go from being one of the fastest growing compies to closing up shop in one year?

Same as anyone else, spend more than you bring in.

[Mr. Furious]

They are blaming a general trend in paintball to explain the decrease of their company's sales. I think the real reason that they are not selling goods is that they were a trendy company that created a fad and now that trend is waning and the fad has died. People are moving on to different things. It is not the first time this has happened nor will it be the last. They made products with little use but a lot of style. Nothing they made was a drastic improvement over other items on the market, their's just had cool phrases and graphics. You can't survive forever if you only offer marginally better products with trendy slogans. Once the tastes of the customers move on to different things you either adapt and change your product line or you die. Hybrid was so hot during their time that they never though people would lose interest in their badass slogans and violent undertones. The Agg movement is dying and Hybrid is the first to fall but others built more on style than substance will follow. Paintball is all about trends and cycles. The big names that have been around for a long time stay trendy but remain far enough from the epicenter of the trends to survive when the trends cycle again.

As far as the gun manufacturers go I think that all the big companies will survive. Paintball guns always sell and historically paintball players will buy guns every year even with only minor cosmetic changes offered(I cite the years of custom Autococker sales as my proof). Yes, the sales may fall but the big names in the industry have resources to survive lean years because they made so much during the fat years.

[conductor]

I am glad that this may end up in an repeal of the whole Agg bit. I hate playing at the only place near me on fridays and seeing the flood of Redz and electros. I remember seeing an ad in APG for Splatball in MN, and the field was awesome early wood and such, now it's just a tiny speedball field. I love 'em, but they're dying.

Cheers all.

[Shiba-Kun]

I feel bad for them. I don't like seeing companies hurting. IMHO options = a good thing, and they were just another option for players to look into.

Plus I feel sorry for anybody who might be losing a job or suffering financially because of this.

[WilD]

We are a luxury sport, but when dad loses a job, or your parents lose their homes, who plays?
myspace.com/contractkillermma
contractkillerclothing.com

Chris Corcino, John Marques- Hybrid tech LLc (the only Hybrid), Contract Killer clothing Co.(The Last of Our Kind)

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I think this is part of the problem. The industry is far too focused on kids. Kids make terrible customers because they have limited resources and change focus quickly. I think it is worth investigating investing more to serve the older players. If going to a paintball field was like going to a golf course, I think more of us would go more often. Basically, I'm saying if paintball fields were cleaner, classier and felt less like a daycare I would go more often. I'd like more focus on the older segment in the industry, those of us that stick around for 10, 20 or more years get tired of all the childish products pretty fast. Basically what the industry has created for itself is a quickly ending cycle that depends on 15 year olds taking it up, playing for two years and then disapearing. I don't think that model can survive.

[going_home]

Originally Posted by WilD

I think this is part of the problem. The industry is far too focused on kids. Kids make terrible customers because they have limited resources and change focus quickly. I think it is worth investigating investing more to serve the older players. If going to a paintball field was like going to a golf course, I think more of us would go more often. Basically, I'm saying if paintball fields were cleaner, classier and felt less like a daycare I would go more often. I'd like more focus on the older segment in the industry, those of us that stick around for 10, 20 or more years get tired of all the childish products pretty fast. Basically what the industry has created for itself is a quickly ending cycle that depends on 15 year olds taking it up, playing for two years and then disapearing. I don't think that model can survive.

Precisely what the scenario type paintball companies focus on.
They know if they get both dad and kids interested they will be much better off. 1.5 years is the average time after gear purchase that
a huge portion of the paintball players quit paintball.
But if they can keep the whole family having fun doing something together, both the family and the paintball company, and the local fields will win.

[Lrrpie-CT]

Originally Posted by WilD

If going to a paintball field was like going to a golf course, I think more of us would go more often. Basically, I'm saying if paintball fields were cleaner, classier and felt less like a daycare I would go more often.

Good post! Field fees are similar to a round of play at a golf course yet most golf courses have clean bathrooms and clean facilities. Granted, the business models are very different and there are many other variables in the equation but in order to attract and keep older players the amenities need to be better.

Oh, Hybrid. Who?

[Lrrpie-CT]

So I just went to their website for the first time and the splash page has a guy giving me the middle finger. And they claim that business isn't good?

[Horizon]

Originally Posted by Lrrpie-CT

Good post! Field fees are similar to a round of play at a golf course yet most golf courses have clean bathrooms and clean facilities. Granted, the business models are very different and there are many other variables in the equation but in order to attract and keep older players the amenities need to be better.

Oh, Hybrid. Who?

Field fees at golf courses must be pretty cheap where you live. Our paintball customers pay for a full day of paintball probably just over half of what it would cost to play a round of golf here.

Originally Posted by Lrrpie-CT

So I just went to their website for the first time and the splash page has a guy giving me the middle finger. And they claim that business isn't good?

You know a company is doing good when they are flipping off society. Actually, they just understand their target market. Young rebellious teenagers. They really grab onto people in the adult world that act like they do. It was smart marketing. I don't think it is the end of AGG that is doing them in. We only wish that was true.

[Lrrpie-CT]

Originally Posted by Horizon

Field fees at golf courses must be pretty cheap where you live.

Running a golf course is much more expensive than a paintball field I'll estimate. There isn't much cheap in Connecticut but New England is mostly rolling hills and fields so we have plenty of ideal land for golf courses. Maybe differences in terrain have something to do with it? I love British Columbia and remember it as very mountainous (trip to Whistler/Blackcomb).

Anyway, I'm not in Hybrid's demographic group so I see your point. In fact, I'd never heard of them before I read this thread today. I guess I'd heard the "contrack killas" lingo thrown around, though. I have no basis to judge Hybrid other than I'd never be customer and I started playing paintball over twenty years ago.