THE GAME MANUFACTURER CODE
A Game Manufacturers Code (GMC) is the three (3) character code assigned to a company (manufacturer/publisher) that Retailers and Distributors use to differentiate between products with the same stock number.
The forerunner to The Game Manufacturer Code, The Standard Manufacturer Code (SMC), was established by RCHTA, now the Hobby Manufacturers Association (HMA), over 30 years ago. Unfortunately, the Hobby and Game industries have become more distinct over time, necessitating a separate (though related) code and database for each.
The three (3) character GMC code appears before the product number, for example: GMC12345.
The Game Manufacturer Code program was started to relieve the confusion of Distributors using a different code for the same company.
Codes are assigned to manufacturers and publishers, not Brands or Product lines, in part because these can be bought, sold, and licensed between manufacturers. A code for a brand or product line does not help retailers or distributors to identify the source of an item or product.
Magazines, Comic Books, and Books do not require a GMC, as they are typically assigned an ISBN code.
Your Game Manufacturers Code (GMC) will prefix all of your company's SKUs, so you only need to buy one for your company.
We recommend that SKUs always consist of your GMC followed by five (or more) numbers in the format ABCXXYYY, where ABC is your three-letter GMC, XX (or more) is a sequential number signifying product line, and YYY (or more) is a number for the product in the product line (starting at zero for the base game or product itself).
You can also skip numbers in order to band products in a product line together where appropriate, such as to differentiate changes like revised core rules.
For example, if your GMC were ABC:
- Your first base product would be ABC01000
- The second expansion for that product line would be ABC01002
- Your third base product would be ABC03000
- An accessory that came out at the same time as that product would be ABC03001
- The second edition of your fourth base product might be ABC04200. Note that this isn't necessary for reprints, only if the product is changed significantly.
This structure makes it easy to group related items together and see at a glance which SKUs go to which product lines, while making sure you don't accidentally overlap your SKUs. It also allows you, as well as retailers and distributors, to quickly identify at a glance which SKUs relate to each other and keeps similar items grouped together when items are sorted by SKU.
GET YOUR GMC NOW
The Game & Comic Industry Database charges a registration fee of $99 USD for a GMC,
which is valid for 1 year.
Registration can be renewed automatically or manually upon notification.
It is strongly recommended that you register your GMC using a permanent email address for your company rather than one for an individual employee.
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