We can’t say for certain, but it looks like GW leaks a lot of their own rumors- especially for 9th Edition Warhammer 40k…
Leaks do happen, but when leaks are legit, they LEAK. They turn up everywhere and then it seems like however correct those leaks are Games Workshop has always been quick to swoop in within hours for a big reveal.
For a company that seems to take 18 months to get a product to market, doing a full-blown press release in crystal clear imagery just hours after a leak makes the rounds seems like a modern-day office work miracle.
Or is it…
Recently, it seems very likely that GW has been purposefully leaking their own content. We say this because there have been a few images that popped up and completely went cold for over a year. But yet with others, the response to the leak(s), while super fun and cheeky, are only revealed hours later as if nothing else more pressing was happening at GW HQ that day.
Here take a look at this:
The dreaded potato cam
So Kind of Looks Like GW Leaks Their Own Rumors Huh?
Let’s start with the fairly obvious stuff as it seems like GW leaked their own content for Indomitus and all the brand new Necron 9th Edition support. With GW code-naming the 9th Edition shipments in the ports as “Project Scarlet”, they seemd to be very mindful of putting just what they wanted out on the web and when.
One of the first images we saw were the layouts of models in what we now know as the Indomitus Box Set. With edited images of Guilliman, a Bladeguard Vet, Some Warriors, and an Overlord scattered around the frame, this wasn’t something that somebody snapped a pic of with their phone really quick- this was never in print anywhere.
Plus, the smoke/foggy effect is completely edited in as well.
Next, there was this deep-fried image of the Necron army line that made rounds across the web as well just before the Indomitus previews. It wasn’t exactly clear what the source of this post was, other than that it lit the hobby community on fire overnight.
Just hours later, there was an unblurred pic of the same preview with some cheeky scribbles next to different units.
Again, these are the most potentially obvious GW-backed leaks that are at the forefront of our minds, but let’s look at some more covert stuff.
More GW Rumor “Leaks”?
Back in 2018, this leaked image hit reddit and multiple users began reposting. You can read “Blackstone Fortress” on the bottom left and see a series of models that have all since been released.
Not long after, we saw GW re-use that image and said “The potato cam strikes again!”. Now we’re not sure if GW was behind the initial “leak” and then making a joke about it… or if GW is roasting the person’s camera phone that took the pic.
But the speed at which this graphic was prepared and released late in the day UK time is very, very convenient overall for Games Workshop…
Almost too convenient…
Remember this banger to close out 2019? This blurred image showing what we now know as the Primaris Stormspeeder, Primaris Gladiator, Outrider Bikes, appeared and when cold literally overnight.
This less-pixelated pic, but not any less blurry pic was also spotted on Dakka Dakka as well. In both of these pics, it’s not like someone tried to snap a pic and then moved the camera before it was done capturing the image. The pixels and blurriness both look edited in.
What makes this even more suspicious is that the leaks revolving around this pic went cold. Remember, this first appeared back in 2019 and after months of opportunity for this to emerge again, it didn’t. Lets be real, GW knew this was real, so they either chose to ignore it with no cheeky retort because it wasn’t worth tipping their hand 6 months early..
But what if the source who had this, posted more pics, one of any of the 12 new releases on the way for Space Marines, or even potentially more engaging/damaging the fact that there was for sure a new edition of 40k on the way.
You could make the argument that neither of these things happened, because the source of said images was GW in the first place, just stirring the pot and keeping Marines in the forefront of everyones minds while promoting Psychic Awakening books every month for 9 straight months…
Would you have bought a Psychic Awakening book if you knew a new edition was coming just months later? Probably not right? Us either.
Ultimately, we’re not saying that any leak is from Games Workshop, but it does seem like they may have gotten pretty good about directing what, when, and where information hits the web, while laughing all the way to the bank…
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What do you think? What are some other leaks that GW look to have been behind?
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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.
