If this really is a leak of a new Games Workshop content creator NDA, this could be more damaging to them than their updated IP policy.
Dont get me wrong, the fallout from the updating of their IP policy in an effort to help protect (or build a moat around as they like to call it) the Warhammer Plus platform was a bit unwarranted by the community IMHO.
Games Workshop didn’t actually go after anyone’s channel, one creator Sodaz moved on after some miscommunication and harassment from fans, and TTS just abruptly stopped, apparently fearful of litigation from Games Workshop.
And GW caught a massive amount of flack for it, seemingly from more of the YouTube community who enjoyed the offerings of animators who have since been hired by Games Workshop to produce content for Warhammer plus.
Now that we’re caught up on what and why, today a rumored NDA was posted on Reddit labeled as the Games Workshop content creator NDA, or Non-Disclosure Agreement. It’s basically the thing you sign as a content creator in hopes that GW will give you something… anything really… for free, for you to use in your videos or site, etc.
In the past YouTubers have indicated that sometimes they get things that are or are not useful, or even delivered in a timely manner that makes them useable in general to their content at all.
Worse. we have heard that some creators signed agreements and never got anything back from GW at all. Some have even quit GW’s NDA because, well that agreement was not worth it to them overall.
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But now we have a rumored copy of a new NDA from GW, which was subsequently validated to Spikey Bits by several other content creators as “legitimate”. A screenshot was posted below as the original PDF supposedly contained identifiers that would reveal the identities of the recipients.
Games Workshop NDA
You can find out more on Reddit, or read the whole document here.
Let take a look at a few key points, and say a quick disclaimer that we are not legaloligists and none of this is an expert legal opinion or even from a legal expert. This is just my gluten-free gut-check from years of dealing with such documents.
First up here’s some important identifiers:
Restricted Customer: Reads to us as anyone who deals with GW i.e. buys things as in “is a customer”. Think about how many people and how incredibly encompassing that statement truly may be.
Restricted Person: basically someone who works for GW, but also may even be a fellow content creator, contractor, supplier, or potentially even a store owner/ tournament organizer.
Term. Well, that’s easy, and clearly defined three years. Keep in mind confidential information could also mean “you got a box of minis a week before street date” as that is not very well defined in this document IMHO.
Now what does this all pertain to:
Section 4.1.2 indicates that you can not at any time of this term ( again 3 years) have any business dealings with a Restricted Customer. That reads to us as you can not sell (among other ways to monetize aka Patreon) anything to anyone who is a GW customer. Basically, it seems to prohibit the ability of creators to literally get paid for their work, other than the freebies GW sends them.
Furthermore, 4.1.4 seems to mean that you can not co-lab, directly employ anyone from GW, or even potentially employ another content creator (assumedly again, to get paid as a creator for your work).
Tin-foil hats would go even further to say this may be a direct response by GW to the way Duncan and Roger departed the company and then monetized themselves on their own platform, just months later, which in theory could not get taken down unless GW took direct (and potentially damaging to their own brand) action against them.
But of course, that last part is pure speculation.
Failure to uphold this NDA seems to result in legal action favorable to GW based in, you guessed it, the country of England. (remember the litigation against Chapterhouse studio took place in the US, as well as GW nearly losing a multi-million dollar suit in Florida.)
Any creator based in the states that signed something like this would have drawn the ire of our founding fathers if it was 250 years or so ago, but even now it seems a little unwise to do so still…
So assuming this document is indeed the new content creator NDA from Games Workshop, it may be more damaging to them than the whole Warhammer+ animators IP controversy that kicked off in the summer. Especially depending on which creators weigh in on the issue, or if it affects the content once again that viewers love to watch.
UPDATE: Many content creators like Goobertown Hobbies and Miniac have already commented on the Reddit post with their thoughts on the matter.
Last time all that resulted in calls for a boycott of GW, which ultimately failed, but we think the community at large is beginning to see through the sales tactics and overall policies of Games Workshop, and are voting with their hobby dollars more than ever before!
It’s 2021- Content Creators, along with artists, should get paid for their work, and not bribed with cheap plastic baubles and stacks of paper that they can not monetize. Game Stores need to be treated the same as GW corporate stores and have an equal chance to support themselves and pay their employees a livable wage.
News of GW ‘Fan Revolt’ has Hit Wall Street
The investing world is abuzz with news about why the Games Workshop stock price has taken a dip as it has been one of the best performers on the market.
As you can see above in a small sampling of financial news sites, investors may be getting some jitters in regards to Games Workshop’s performance.
The UK Times had this to say in their article, which summaries the majority of the issue, but falls alittle short without a deeper look at GW’s product mix.
Britain’s largest manufacturer of miniature wargames and fantasy figurines has become embroiled in a running battle with some of its fans that has sent its share price tumbling.
Games Workshop has angered a section of its customers after clamping down on unauthorised websites dedicated to its Warhammer franchise, according to analysts at Jefferies, the US bank.
From this chart on Yahoo Finance, you can see the recent dip in their stocks. It’s also worth pointing out the backend as you can see the tremendous growth since 2019 alone.
This Is Money UK, dug a bit deeper in their reporting, saying the following:
This change has led to popular fan content creators ceasing their involvement (under pressure from Games Workshop), a lot of negative community feedback, a raft of downvotes to Warhammer video content, and, with other factors also rolled in (price increases, employee pay), calls to boycott the business.’
The impetus for the crackdown appeared to be Warhammer+, Games Workshop’s subscription service that provides access to exclusive Warhammer TV shows as well as figurines and apps unavailable elsewhere.
…while the current noise seemed to be from a ‘vocal minority’, they trimmed their target price for the group to 12,250p from 13,200p, saying they would be ‘keeping a close eye’ on the situation.
However, none of the articles we read seemed to touch on the other issues such, as FOMO, paywalls, etc, that hobbyists are experiencing at the register. These factors may also be a contributor to consumer confidence in Games Workshop overall.
Here are more articles on the issues that Games Workshop is facing now as their stock has dipped and investors have taken notice:
- Everything You Need To Know About Warhammer Plus
- Games Workshop NDA Leak More Damaging Than Their IP Policy
- YouTubers Have Started Attacking Warhammer TV
- Boycotts Don’t Work, Do This Instead to Games Workshop
- Lookout YouTube, GW Just Updated Their IP Guidelines
- Where GW Fan Creativity Ends & IP Infringement Starts
Please let us know your thoughts on this matter, and what creators and brands you love to support with your hobby dollars and time!
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About the Author: Rob Baer
