First we saw Games Workshop releasing soft cover versions of the End Times and Shield of Baal, and now they may be extending it to Codex books as well.
It’s no secret that we’ve seen the drumbeat of ever higher and higher prices from Games Workshop. Even longtime veterans in the game with massive collections are having a hard time keeping up (myself included).
Add the frenzied release schedule and it gets even harder to keep up with the current state of the game from models to rules.
But economics in general say that prices can’t just go up forever and sooner or later a price ceiling will establish, beyond which it damages the manufacturer to proceed. Hobbyists have been arguing about exactly what the level is for years now.
Now factor in the mid-year financial report from GW and you can start to put a picture together. The company knocked out a ton of amazing products in the last six months:
-Grey Knights
-Tyranids
-Blood Angels
-Space Wolves
-Dark Eldar
-Shield of Baal series and campaign boxed set.
-Endtimes Volumes 1-3 (with amazing miniatures to support them)
Several years back that would have made an entire year of GW releases, and even with all of that their revenue was down year per year. Something is clearly wrong with the corporate strategy – and I’d put an educated guess on prices as the culprit.
So when Brass Scorpion says this, I’m wondering what’s going on:
“Some of you astute GW customers out there may have noticed that the Tomb Kings army book has been out of print for a few months. This is because it is moving to paperback! The new price will also be significantly cheaper too. Instead of the $49.50 US hardback Army book price it will be about $37 US and change. Perhaps we can presume this shift to cheaper paperbacks will be seen in other Army and Codex books over time. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
So to some it may seem like just another range of product options used to further tighten the belt at Nottingham and perhaps make a profitable product (hardcovers) even more profitable (moderately lower priced softcovers).
Maybe it’s the beginning of GW starting to come back in off the ledge, and find a way to walk those prices back down to something reasonable.
Kevin Roundtree has only been in the CEO chair for 2 months, so you can’t put the blame on him for GW’s current state. Signs like this may be some sort of experimentation that may be just what GW needs to reform itself back to the growing company it once was.
What do YOU think? Should prices come down a bit, or is this the way a ‘luxury’ hobby is supposed to work?
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
