This didn’t go over well with the Heavy Intercessors, and if true hobbyists may not react well to an Orks paywall from GW.
With hobbyists already irritated with GW (bad timing for them), we’ve seen some evidence that makes us worry that the new traditional style Orks release is going to be paywalled.
There has been a precedence for a start collecting style box to actually paywall new releases. Plus, if this is true, it would mean GW could keep the Orks release going for a whole new wave and thus more sales (see our “missing” October release post).
Orks Releases & Potential Paywall
Meaning more hype for them and potentially giving Orks four waves of releases:
- The Beast Snagga box
- Codex with the Beast Snagga single kit releases
- Orks Combat Patrol (more on that in a minute) & terrain piece
- a wave of everything in the Combat Patrol on their own (we hope).
Why do we think they GW will paywall the new Orks? Well, let’s dive in!
Where da Boyz at?
There had been rumors for a while on the retail side that the current Ork boyz box was not discontinued to stores, which was concerning because we know there are new boyz models on the way.
Recently pictures of an updated Ork Boyz box for 9th edition surfaced on the main Orks Facebook Group, which seem to support the notion that, at least for now, this box will be the only separate way to get Ork Boys for 9th Edition.
More On an Orks Paywall
This rumored new Combat Patrol box has basically every new Ork unit (not including the Beast Snagga ones) in it other than the terrain piece. That alone makes us a little worried because if all the new minis were in this box, and not released separately, that would make this basically a new FOMO release.
Assault on Black Reach Box Set
Why? Well let’s face it Orks Boys have been around in various forms forever, so from a business standpoint, most players may just want the other releases and not them. On the flip side, new hobbyists just getting into the faction will need tons of boys, so this box in theory solves both of these problems, but only if this is the only way to purchase the new models.
The box still provides value to both camps of Ork players (and money-wise potentially) and allows GW to move the maximum amount of product possible to fill their coffers.
Buy one get one Free! Choose from hundreds of minis now!
The negatives, of course, are the fact that this is probably unexpected for most players, and with allocations as of late, it may be harder for players to get the new models they need.
GW Has Done This Exact Thing Before
Unfortunately, there has been a precedence for this in the past, most notably with the Slaves to Darkness Start Collecting box.
You could make the argument that all the new Army boxes for AoS and 40k are basically the same thing, but the fact that GW may be double pay-walling the Ork release is for the most part unprecedented.
Start Collecting: Slaves to Darkness
This box came out in January of 2020, with all the new Chaos models locked into this puppy, and actually, to this date they have not been released separately.
We’re not sure if that is a side-effect of COVID or the rollout of AoS 3.0, but they still have not been released separately, meaning if you want Chaos models for Slaves to Darkness this is the only way to get them “off the shelf”.
Hopefully, even if they do paywall the new Orks, they release the individual kits sooner than these poor Slaves to Darkness…
So while in essence, this is a rumor (so take it with salt), don’t be surprised if all the new “Traditional” Orks will be only released in their Combat Patrol box, at least at first…
What do you think about the potential of an Ork Paywall for their new models?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
