The developer for Battlescribe says everything is fine with the app, and it’s not being abandoned, but the community has mixed feelings…
We recently talked about how the app was taken off the iOS store and that the folks doing the data updates hadn’t heard from the developer in years. It looks like the removal now has the developer making new promises regarding the application.
We’d love to see the app starting to get getting real updates again, but as we said, the community has had very mixed reactions to the announcement.
Battlescribe Developer Says Everything is a-ok
Whelp, this is embarrassing. Apparently an expired credit card caused my iOS developer account to go down for a bit, meaning the app couldn’t be reached in the App Store.
It should be back up and running now/soon ❤
🤦♂️#warhammer #aos #wh40k
— BattleScribe (@BattleScribe) August 25, 2022
He said the removal is due to an old credit card and did not have to do with such a long spell in-between updates.
BUT!
It has not all been downtime over here. I have been experimenting with and researching new technologies to ensure BattleScribe is future proofed. This is work that has been sorely needed for a long time.
It is a huge job and there is still a lot to do…
— BattleScribe (@BattleScribe) August 25, 2022
We’ll have to see if the issues start getting fixed or if there will be updates soon. At this point, it seems better than just dying. Plus, if we actually start getting updates, some good might come out of the issues. As we said, the community reaction has been quite mixed on this subject.
Community Reaction
As we said, there was a mixed reaction. Some people are still mad on the latest Reddit thread that the dev ghosted the community and only seemed to come back when something big like this happened.
Obviously, the most annoyed seems to be the data community, as they have been keeping the whole thing going and haven’t been able to get in contact with the developer.
However, not everyone was upset by the news and/or the lack of communication with the data maintainers who actually gave the app its value with their content.
Here are some tweets from the Battlescribe thread:
Official Statement From The Battlescribe Data Maintainers
Speaking of the data maintainers, I contacted them about the developer’s statement, and they made three key points in their reply.
- They’re too loosely organized for any single “official” statement.
- They are all “beyond furious,” and a few will likely quit, but the majority will keep going because they do not want to hurt the community, as the end user is not at fault here.
- Not a single one of them makes a penny for their work maintaining the data files that actually make Battlescribe of value.
Let that sink in for a minute. Supposedly none of the folks maintaining all the data for the Battlescribe app (that give it value) are actually getting paid. Meanwhile, according to them, the app developer has ghosted them and has only emerged after a huge hiatus to let users know that they can still keep donating to the app (i.e., directly to the developer only) as it will be “updated.”
That seems a little sus.
However, for many people, the app returning to the iOS store is good, as they don’t have to change how they build lists. Overall, it is probably good news for Warhammer 40k as this is used for many purposes.
Let’s just hope this was the thing the developer needed to pay a little more attention to the app and maybe keep in better contact with the community data team.
But that being said, don’t be afraid to vote with your hobby dollars if you dont think the developer deserves any of your support going forward either.
Are you happy to see that Battlescribe is not going away according to its developer?
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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.
