We think it pretty safe to say the Warhammer 40k App is dead on Arrival, and it may be time to unsubscribe and save some hobby dollars.
After weeks of the app being “live” (but actually more like life support), GW has been rolling out continuing updates trying to put out fires on the app. But if you’re not a fan of paying a premium for an unfinished project, you can always unsubscribe.
Here’s a quick way to do it.
Not Cool GW, How Do I Unsubscribe The 40k App?
Before we get into the details, we should mention that when the app first launched, there was actually no way to unsubscribe. You had to email somebody outside of the app requesting to be removed. Just a funny little side note.
Now, if you’ve given the app a fair chance and don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel worth your monthly subscription, you can always unsubscribe. Here’s how to do it:
First, you’ll want to go to MyWarhammer and sign in. This is the same login info that gets you into the app.
Once you sign in, go to your account page and click the link beside the app logo.
(At the time of writing this we were already unsubscribed) but you can do all of your canceling/signing up from this page and it’s that simple!
It’s unfortunate to see the potential on such a good idea fumbled, but spending $4.99/month for something that doesn’t come with an army builder (yet) and has a shoddy rules search may be something that you don’t seem worth paying. Especially when Battlescribe is free and is the trusted app for rules, points, etc. of many.
Also, an interesting development in the “free” vs “paid” app battle that Apple is currently in with both Fortnight and the US Congress, could have further ramifications for other “free” apps the collect fees on their own platforms (like GW?). Keep an eye on this one for sure.
This was the last straw as GW keeps rewriting the narrative with double talk, a shortage of animations, and apps in beta- it’s time to cancel Warhammer plus.
It’s Time to Cancel Warhammer+ Plus
Before we go too far, we want to start by saying, if this has value to you, keep it. However, for us, it’s hard to support something where GW constantly changes their offering, and even their posts on Warhammer Community without notice, and no oversight.
Flip-flopping on all of the promises and literally running out of the main attraction to the platform (animations) is in our opinion inexcusable. Once again, if they were just upfront about the fact that animations would be slow for the first few months and the main content would be things other than the animations it’s possible that hobbyists would be more understanding.
Imagine if Disney had promised 12 new Star Wars shows and starting with Mandalorian and halfway through invented a midseason break, and then went back and edited all their posts to match their version of events.
How many people do you think would cancel the service? We think a lot. And that is EXACTLY what Games Workshop has done with Warhammer Plus.
If you remember when they first marketed this, they made the animations center stage. Now, just a month in, one animation is taking a mid-season break (what is that after 4 episodes?) and the other doesn’t even promise to come out in consecutive weeks.
So it looks like for the month of October the main value now comes in the way of free signup mini that still has yet to ship, battle reports, painting guides, lore, and old White Dwarfs.
All of which is well and fine, but guess what, the very same content is available for free on YouTube from your favorite content creators.
Basically, the disingenuous nature of the content makes it hard to support Warhammer+ We’re not just making unsupported claims here either as you are about to see.
Value of Warhammer+ Plus:
This post was updated with the actual value of Warhammer+ Plus on October 2nd, 2021
Let’s start out with the actual on-paper value of the service if you subscribed from day one:
Editor’s note the voucher was confirmed as being $16 and the post was updated as such.
Cost for a year $59.99
- Subscribers in August got a $16 voucher (announced Aug 23rd, 2021)
- Choice of Exclusive Figure $35 (announced June 25th, 2021)
- 5 Worldwide Entries for Paint Giveaway (announced Oct 1st, 2021)
Actual cost for a year subscription: $9 which breaks down to less than $1 a month for initial subscribers.
When you look at the value of Warhammer+ in hobby dollars, the monthly rate is probably the best value in hobby content that ever existed.
But that was never the main issue, and we actually praised the unlimited potential of this service back in July.
Is it Time to Cancel Warhammer Plus?
Let’s start with something that really, really put a bad taste in our mouths. This is the picture of their Sunday teaser release. It shows nothing about any animation, doesn’t talk about a mid-season break, or has any content included about any animation.
A mere 16 hours after our most recent editorial about the lack of animations, GW has changed the lineup (see new image below) and now have informed readers about a “mid-season break”.
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So, from the exact same post we grabbed this picture from Sunday, they actually went back and changed the content and original post without notifying readers that an edit was made- a big no-no in the publishing world.
Why? Because it’s basically lying to your audience.
As you can see they went backed and changed the picture in the original post with this, the Deep Strike podcast about Angels of Death- which is a podcast about the show.
They didn’t even change the text to address the addition of the show in the graphic or even the post. Then, they finally mentioned Angels of Death will not be returning until November, so after four episodes, it’s taking an entire month’s break.
Which is fine, if you know, they had told us at the launch how this was going to work, and not shoehorn it in when they ran out of content, and then edit their posts to match…
Next, breaking down the other content a little. First, there is value in all three of the above shows for sure. The main issue though, is there is so much amazing content already out there for the exact same stuff.
It’s not only that the content is out there, it’s also that a lot of us have spent years supporting and watching the same type of content. So it’s just really hard to say paying for an app is worthwhile when there is so much already out there that is so established, and more importantly, they don’t over-promise and underdeliver as GW tends to do with all of its platform offerings as of late…
The Silent FAQ Change
This is the big change right here from the Warhammer+ FAQ that we noticed just before they throttled back on their animation offerings. They originally said content would be added every week, now it says it will be most Wednesdays.
We might be looking into this too much. But it gives them some leeway when it actually comes to adding content, and maybe their writers we a little confused about if the animation or the rest of the offerings were the actual content as well?
Yes, they did offer content for sure every week so far, but no it’s not the animations that they have been so hot and heavy on from day one that we showed you already.
Don’t forget they promised the AoS app would be ready but it’s still very much in Beta (sound familiar 40k players?).
Now they’ve also recently paywalled the last of the free rules for Age of Sigmar now, just like Warhammer 40k.
This pic comes from Reddit, and guess what it shows? That Stormcast is already paywalled! So every time an army comes out, you will need the digital code from the physical book. this just really sucks at it is sort of the end of an era. One of free rules and an app that people honestly loved in the Azyr.
We’re really not sure why they can’t listen to the community when it comes to things like this. Instead of letting people have something they like, they ruin it with another paywall…
At least it somehow gives more intrinsic value to Warhammer+…
Just be Upfront With Us
We would rather them just tell us the truth from the get-go that they don’t really have enough content created. Instead of acting like it’s all guns blazing when in reality, that just never seems to be the truth for any of their in-house developed assets.
That’s the main issue most hobbyists and viewers seem to have with the company in general, they just act like everything is peachy and never mention anything when it goes wrong until it’s mushroomed into an issue.
Then, just like with the images above, they just go back and make edits without telling anyone. Basically, everything Games Workshop does seem to just stay on the same rocky path they started with and limp on until enough customers bail on the offering that they finally that project to bed…
It’s time to stop rewarding Games Workshop’s bad behavior and cancel Warhammer Plus (well unless it has value for you, then don’t- it’s cool we still appreciate you reading this article).
Editor’s Note Updated Friday, Oct 1 2021:
Now it appears GW is trying another giveaway to entice people into the app. First, they gave a $10 voucher to people who stayed subscribed, which in itself is good, and now there is a giveaway open worldwide to all subscribers.
Warhammer Community, just announced a paint giveaway to five subscribers across the world and winning one of every paint they make would be amazing for sure!
Maybe just giving us what was promised in the beginning would have worked instead of constant gimmicks to get this thing off the ground though…
News of GW ‘Fan Revolt’ has Hit Wall Street
The investing world is abuzz with news about why the Games Workshop stock price has taken a dip as it has been one of the best performers on the market.
As you can see above in a small sampling of financial news sites, investors may be getting some jitters in regards to Games Workshop’s performance.
The UK Times had this to say in their article, which summaries the majority of the issue, but falls alittle short without a deeper look at GW’s product mix.
Britain’s largest manufacturer of miniature wargames and fantasy figurines has become embroiled in a running battle with some of its fans that has sent its share price tumbling.
Games Workshop has angered a section of its customers after clamping down on unauthorised websites dedicated to its Warhammer franchise, according to analysts at Jefferies, the US bank.
From this chart on Yahoo Finance, you can see the recent dip in their stocks. It’s also worth pointing out the backend as you can see the tremendous growth since 2019 alone.
This Is Money UK, dug a bit deeper in their reporting, saying the following:
This change has led to popular fan content creators ceasing their involvement (under pressure from Games Workshop), a lot of negative community feedback, a raft of downvotes to Warhammer video content, and, with other factors also rolled in (price increases, employee pay), calls to boycott the business.’
The impetus for the crackdown appeared to be Warhammer+, Games Workshop’s subscription service that provides access to exclusive Warhammer TV shows as well as figurines and apps unavailable elsewhere.
…while the current noise seemed to be from a ‘vocal minority’, they trimmed their target price for the group to 12,250p from 13,200p, saying they would be ‘keeping a close eye’ on the situation.
However, none of the articles we read seemed to touch on the other issues such, as FOMO, paywalls, etc, that hobbyists are experiencing at the register. These factors may also be a contributor to consumer confidence in Games Workshop overall.
Here are more articles on the issues that Games Workshop is facing now as their stock has dipped and investors have taken notice:
- Everything You Need To Know About Warhammer Plus
- Games Workshop NDA Leak More Damaging Than Their IP Policy
- YouTubers Have Started Attacking Warhammer TV
- Boycotts Don’t Work, Do This Instead to Games Workshop
- Lookout YouTube, GW Just Updated Their IP Guidelines
- Where GW Fan Creativity Ends & IP Infringement Starts
What do you think about the 40k app? Have you unsubscribed until it gets better?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today! You can also support us on Patreon and get ad-free access to the site, plus a ton of minis that helps support some of the best creators out there!
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
Socials: @RealmbrushPainting
About Wesley Floyd: Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He is known for his satirist takes on trending topics and imaginative yet amazingly affordable hobby solutions to painting Warhammer miniatures.
Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4. If you like what he writes and want to contact him or have your tabletop minatures painted (to a mostly okayish standard), message him on Instagram.
