According to some, the writing is on the wall for Games Workshop as one of its most famous miniature lines may be about to be dethroned.
Embracer recently acquired Asmodee Group and Dark Horse Comics, which are giant companies on their own, but have also acquired Middle Earth Enterprises. This now gives them all the intellectual and licensing rights for the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
So, in essence, that gives them all the rights to license miniatures, movies, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks, and stage productions.
And guess who has a big Lord of the Rings miniatures game? That’s right, Games Workshop
Another Sign That Games Workshop Miniatures Are About to Be De-Throned
We looked at this a while ago, but with the new deal with Warner Bros and New Line to make more Lord of the Rings movies, things are ramping up!
The sale process was initiated earlier this year, but with the new partnership, new Lord of the Rings movies are coming soon. So, while Embracer Group having the rights might mean more films and shows coming out based on the core works (and a planned release of the animated feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim in 2024), for tabletop gamers the biggest thing is that they now have the licensing rights for the miniatures as well.
Asmodee is one of the biggest gaming companies in the market today, and with their parent company holding the rights to license all things Lord of the Rings, it would almost be insane for them not to make a miniatures game based in Middle Earth.
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From the industry insiders we have spoken with, Games Workshop is very worried about losing the license to produce miniatures to a competing studio like Asmodee; however, they may have little choice.
So, when the license comes up for renewal comes up for the miniatures, it seems there is an excellent possibility that Asmodee could very well make their own miniature game based on Lord of the Rings.
If Star Wars is anything to go on, Asmodee is not slowing down at all in the miniatures space with new games such as Star Wars: Shatterpoint. So, it seems strange that Embracer would pay so much for the rights to Lord of the Rings and then a games publisher such as Asmodee, then not use them in conjunction.
Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors did potentially foreshadow future licensing deals via Asmodee and or Games Workshop in the announcement:
Asmodee Group had been a successful licensee of the rights, producing over a dozen games with over 100 expansions in the past 20 years. Future plans include both further use of the rights by Embracer Group companies and external licenses.
They talk about licensing here, which makes sense for use both internally in Ebracer companies and externally, like with book publishers and such.
Regardless, the future of miniatures based on the works of Middle Earth could get very interesting soon.
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Do you think Asmodee will take over the miniature side of Lord of the Rings, or do you think Games Workshop, a competitor, will be allowed to keep the license?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
