Live viewers have risen out of nowhere for the latest Warhammer previews, as hobbyists appear to be reconnecting with Games Workshop.
Although the hype at the beginning of the 10th Edition Warhammer 40k was real, the initial live streams didn’t seem to attract as many viewers as expected. However, it’s encouraging that GW is gaining back viewers, as the numbers for their latest preview stream are quite impressive.
Hobbyists are Reconnecting With Games Workshop
The LVO preview in January 2024 witnessed a significant increase compared to the rest of the year. As it is one of the most significant previews of the year, it’s good to see people reconnecting with the hobby. There were some really cool reveals at the event, and people tuned in much more than they did for the World Championships of Warhammer in November 2023. The 2024 numbers are quite impressive, with 18,033 viewers of the stream (and more overall views as well), and when compared to the previous year, this is a notable increase.
While the time might have made an impact on earlier steams, people either stayed up or woke up for the LVO preview!
This is also the first preview we’ve seen in a while where more people watched than last year, which is quite a positive sign for the hobby. Perhaps this increase in viewership had to do with what people thought would be revealed, or maybe they were more invested in the current roadmap.
Additionally, it’s fascinating to observe that the 2023 numbers witnessed a drop of about 3k viewers, which means about 3,000 more people watched the 2024 LVO preview, indicating a 20% increase.
Viewership Was Down in 2023
Let’s look at some live viewer numbers via Twitch Tracker, starting with the Battle for Ogrham Preview and WCoW.
The Battle For Oghram preview in July 2023 is where numbers really started to dip. Generally, these streams get about 30k viewers, however, the first preview after the launch of 10th Edition 40k was already suffering from low viewership.
Just a month later, the NOVA Open preview again didn’t break the 25k viewer number. Overall, the community didn’t seem to receive this preview well, but it still showcased some fantastic models regardless.
However, the next preview on Warhammer Day pulled in way more people (perhaps because it was at a much more normal time), but also lower than the year before.
Either way, it looks like LVO 2024 outperformed last year, and it’s good to see more hobbyists connecting with Warhammer in 2024 and stopping the dip in viewership.
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What do you think about viewership being up in 2024? Do you think hobbyists are reconnecting more with Games Workshop?
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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.
