The internet is mad at Games Workshop influencers and content creators for shilling for things like the new Kill Team Boxes, or Lion El’Jonson as prices spike because of low supply and allocations.
The recent Lion El’Jonson debacle is one of the worst new releases we’ve seen in a long time from Games Workshop. This model has literally been rumored for years, so to say people have been that long to get it is really not an overstatement.
Hobbyists have every right to be mad when they waited years for something and have almost zero chance of scoring it.
However, it’s not just the fact hobbyists can’t get it; it’s the combined fact that everyone sees the model all over social media from content creators who just got it sent to them by GW in an effort to sell something that there seems to be no supply for.
When content creators get basically half the allocation that GW sends to stores in an effort to sell their audience on buying it, there is a disconnect somewhere.
The Internet is Raging at Games Workshop Content Creators & Influencers For Shilling
These comments, and others like these on our social media, echo the ones we saw on other content creators’ socials after thanking GW for their “free” Lion, Azrael, and Dante models.
We want to point out that we do not accept products from GW and buy everything we feature from local game stores; if they can’t get it from GW, we don’t get it, pure and simple.
While some people were able to get the box, for the majority of hobbyists, Games Workshop’s site crashed literally minutes after the pre-order went live. It wasn’t like, oh, missed it by a couple of hours, it was minutes this time, and they were all gone.
Even worse is that local stores, no matter their size supposedly, all only received three of the new Lion Guard Retinue box. That caused a surge in prices on the secondary market for both the Son of the Forest Limited Edition Book, as well as for the Lion model itself.
As you can see, on pre-order weekend, boxes were already going for over $300 on eBay.
Don’t Hate The Creator, Hate The “Game.”
We think two things are important to note; we’re not calling out one content creator specifically. Judging by the comments across creators’ social media pages we saw on release weekend; hobbyists are just mad at someone.
We’re also not blaming influencers and content creators, they have an agreement with Games Workshop, and they did their job. It’s Games Workshop that is to blame for all of this, in our opinion.
Just like we saw with Cursed City, the marketing side of GW didn’t seem to know that the production side had so little product.
Furthermore, where was the fabled Queue-it system that had been in place for the past several years to prevent situations like this after the Indomitus debacle of 2020?
Well, it seemed to have been offline as hobbyists and bots alike flooded Games Workshop’s site to order.
Perhaps the solution to this whole situation was to have more communication between departments at Games Workshop so that creators are not left with egg on their faces for doing what is asked of them by GW and using the Lion and Dante models, or any of the latest Kill Team boxes, they were sent to earn a living.
Did you miss out on the Lion el’Jonson 40k model, and how do you feel about seeing them all over the internet on social media accounts for Games Workshop’s Influencers and content creators?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, or our new Discord server, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!
Get ad-free access to our hobby videos, a monthly drop of miniatures, and support some of the best creators out there for as little as $6 a month on Patreon!
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.
