Putting the ‘Games’ Back In Games Workshop
This year has seen Games Workshop really put out a lot of boxed games and they have been supporting the previous games as well – but what’s the plan moving forward?
Games Workshop has launched quite a few boxed games this year. Looking back over their game systems, they’ve been cranking out a lot of products with different rules and miniatures for a few years now. As a company, it really seems like they are trying to bring the “game” part of the company back in new and exciting ways.
Here’s a condensed list of what has come out this year:
- Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress – not out yet
- Speed Freeks
- Space Marine Adventures: Labyrinth of the Necron
- Kill Team
- Kill Team: Rogue Trader
- Warhammer Underworlds: Nightvault
- Adeptus Titanicus
We also had a steady stream of releases for Necromunda and Bloodbowl. Both of those systems have gotten new warbands/teams and expansion releases all this year. Plus Warhammer Quest has gotten White Dwarf Support with various other scenarios and additional rules, too.
We’ve also saw a quite a few games come out from them in previous years including:
- Gangs of Commorragh
- Deathwatch:Overkill
- Gorechosen
- Lost Patrol
- Stormcloud Attack
- Imperial Knights: Renegade
- Assassinorum: Execution Force
- Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth
- Horus Heresy: Burning of Prosepro
- Space Hulk
- Dreadfleet
Most of those games came out within the last two years, but some are obviously much older. And there are MORE games that are 3rd party productions as well. And let’s just ignore video games with the GW license because there are almost too many to count at this point. And obviously we’re also ignoring all the Boxed Sets that came out specifically for Warhammer and AoS.
Now if we’re being honest, a lot of these games feel like vehicles to sell the new models that feed back into their two core games – which if you haven’t figured it out are Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar. The argument can be made for Middle-earth as their third core game, but I’ll leave that up to the fans of that system to make that argument.
Of all the games listed above, only Dreadfleet and Adeptus Titanicus received models that were specific to their game brand. Maybe if Dreadfleet had taken off it would have gotten more ships at a later date – alas, it launched and then tanked. Adeptus Titanicus, on the other hand, seems like GW underestimated the demand for that game’s Reavers and Warhounds. People are snapping-up those kits – I’d be very curious to see the numbers on those games.
So my real question in all of this is simply: “What’s the plan here?” As a company, GW is in the business of selling models. Creating new games helps to sell those models. And making these new “games” as a vehicle to sell models seems to be working for them. It also happens that those same models feed back into their core game systems which further pushes players to play those games. Overall, it appears to be a pretty good feedback loop they’ve created.
These other “games” do allow GW to explore other types of game play as well. They aren’t all hardcore tabletop games. Many of them are what I’d consider entry level – they are essentially a board game with GW miniatures slapped in for style. That’s not a bad thing as it exposes more players to their models and feeds into the loop mentioned above. It’s actually smart business.
But what do you think? Do you play these other “games” or are you just buying them for the models and ditching the rest? Do you think having all other games helps or hurts their brand over-all? Let us know in the comments!
