GW has made 9th the lame duck edition of Warhammer 40k right now as the release of 10th edition looms over the game and older factions.
So, while we don’t know the exact release date (but have a ton of clues), it seems like many people are doing heartfelt playing of Warhammer 40k right now, as we have at least two months before the new edition drops. Despite coming out with some of the most anticipated minis (most notably, the Lion), people seem to be in a bit of a holding pattern- especially with the sold-out debacle that was the Lion/Dante/Azrael release.
Let’s see why many hobbyists have been holding off on new armies (well, other than brand-new minis like Votann, Imperial Guard, or World Eaters.)
Games Workshop Has Made 9th Edition Warhammer 40k a Lame Duck
1. 40k Product Slow Movers:
We’ve heard from a lot of stores that older factions just really aren’t moving almost at all right now, and it makes sense. With 10th edition Warhammer 40k on the way so soon, it seems like a strange time to go deep and buy a brand-new army. Especially when all the rules GW has dropped are pretty big changes, such as simpler rules, how characters work, the new datasheets, and much more.
This alone seems to have some hobbyists timid about buying a new army, as everything you buy now could either be worthless in the new edition or great; you just don’t have much of an idea.
Looking at the last edition, Space Marines grabbed a bunch of new minis and books, but they only seemed to be good for about four months and then really fell off. As a ton of people jumped on the army, they just had a pretty lousy time playing Astartes competitively as the codex creep progressed.
2. Space Marines Sleeping On The Job:
According to stores, people haven’t seemed to forget that, and new army sales just are not happening right now, even with a ton of new Space Marine heroes like Lion, Azrael, and Dante. GW has even released free 40k rules to try and get people to buy them, but with the huge fumble on release, it seems to have pushed more people away into a holding pattern for 10th than make them open their wallets.
Either way, not much has been happening since late winter, and even if it was with the caps on new releases stores are experiencing right now, there is really no incentive for stores to dedicate a lot of resources to anything Games Workshop right now.
3. Games Workshop Saved The Best For Last?
This also follows the exact path before the last edition change, where they came out with brand-new minis right before the edition changed to keep the last two quarters from falling off.
This time we had Votann, and they are a brand new faction, so people have obviously been buying this because it almost doesn’t matter how they are in the next edition, as who doesn’t want squats?
Next, we have Imperial Guard, who haven’t really got new minis since 2007-08 or so. Again, people will buy them just because they want the actual minis. Lastly, we have World Eaters, who are also super old minis, so again, people are just buying for the models themselves.
This is almost the exact opposite of older factions. If a faction doesn’t have new minis, people are just not buying them, as so much is in a holding period right now. GW always seems to do this, where they hold this carrot over people’s heads with brand new factions, then boom, in a couple of months, the books are totally worthless.
The Silver Lining In All of This
Arks of Omen really progressed the balance and building of Warhammer 40k towards the new edition. So far the previews for Warhammer 40k 10th Edition are already looking like it will be a great system, with GW taking criticism at heart and attempting to make things less clunky.
So if you already have an army, there is almost no reason to dive in right before the new edition drops. Plus, it’s a great time to stock up on bundle boxes for your current faction to hobby on before the new edition hits, so you are prepared to try any combination of units you can in the new rules set.
Overall, this early preview of 10th Edition Warhammer 40k seems to have put the hobby into an odd holding pattern where no one will make any accurate decisions or potentially make new armies for the next couple of months.
But it’s a great time to clear out your hobby backlog and future-proof your miniatures for the new Edition!
10th Edition Warhammer 40k Links
- Warhammer 40k New 10th Edition Release Guide: LATEST
- New 10th Edition Warhammer 40k Starter Set & Models
- What Will Happen To Codex Books in 10th Edition
- All the Latest 10th Edition Rules Changes
- How to Build Army Lists in 10th Edition Warhammer 40k
Have you been waiting until Warhammer 40k 10th drops to actually expand your current armies or jump into a new one? Do you think Warhammer 40k 9th Edition is a lame duck now?
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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 has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including the Adepticon Team Tournament and American Team Tournaments, and is on a first-name basis with almost every major company in the space.
He’s all gaming all the time. With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. 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 1908s, 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.
