It looks like Games Workshop is not in charge of Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar anymore, as sales start to slip on the Votann release.
With the recent NERF basically day one to Leagues of Votann (and a points increase on every single unit in the army), GW might have set a very dangerous precedent… Because who knows who will run Barterown soon?
GW is Not in Charge of Warhammer 40k Anymore; Players Are!
Because Games Workshop feared negative backlash to Warhammer 40k and slow sales, they caved basically on day one and adjusted the rules. While some may think it was good that Games Workshop was so “responsive,” we disagree.
This is a very dangerous precedent to set, as GW already has ways to balance Warhammer40k, and they just started working. From the quarterly balance data state (which is overdue for Q3, by the way) to points changes in Chapter Approved, as well as the 30-day FAQ, there is a process players should believe in.
If GW lets the community outrage force their hand, they start to let their sale forecasting be ruled by fear, which can hurt all upcoming revenue. The reason is that post-NERF, now if players are scared about rules, they could think they have the power to change anything because of GW’s response to Votann.
Sure, people may hesitate to buy an army as they wait to see the outcry and wait for the NERFs before buying. But let’s be real here, the Votann Army box sold out, and surely the upcoming faction release will do well with collectors and hobbyists who tend to make up the majority of sales and not the 1000 or so regular competitive players across the world who regularly attend regional and major tournaments.
Think about that for a second. Were all those people on Reddit who commented that Votann was broken really going to hobby on an army and take them to a tournament in the next 90 days?
That answer is probably no, and that vocal minority just forced GW into backpedaling some hotfixes for Votann.
Sure we get it, GW probably felt like they had to do this, as Leagues of Votann are really the main new release until Winter (at least according to the latest roadmap), so GW needs it to sell well to report those quarterly earnings.
They even said they didn’t test the army against enough of the armies out there and only tested against a couple of armies, which seems insane if you ask us.
Either way, it kinda shows desperation all the way around. It’s almost like their finances are laying on the Votann release for the fall of 2022.
We’ll have to see how this plays out, but if they fold every time the tournament community shows some outcry, things may get both very interesting and sad in the future for releases.
Especially considering we have both Imperial Guard and World Eaters coming in Winter; hopefully, their books are better tested, and we won’t see day one NERFs two or three times in a row…
For now, though, this FAQ basically turns the codex book everyone just bought into an expensive paperweight (well, that’s an exaggeration, there is a lot of really cool lore and art in it, at least).
If you have the Votann codex, basically, every single point value is wrong, and you can’t even use a week-old book to make an army list. You just have to use the PDF (or obviously the army builder apps), and that just gives more credence to our idea that GW should just release the rules as PDFs… but we’ve talked a lot about that before.
One thing seems clear from all these Votann changes. If they do something like this again, it will prove that Games Workshop is not in charge of Warhammer 40k (or AoS) anymore.
With a year-long stock slide, a dip in the Pound Sterling, and continued logistical problems, we don’t envy Games Workshop right now.
That being said, we hope they plan stronger for the future and work on their corporate bloat to be a more agile company in the long term.
Games Workshop was great once, and we’re here for when they will be great again.
Check out our full series on the Games Workshop Product Strategy and how they may be changing right now.
- Games Workshop Is Changing, Here’s Why
- The New Games Workshop Sales Strategy
- How Games Workshop Could Change
GW’s Current Woes:
- GW is Not in Charge of Warhammer Anymore
- $200 Kits From Games Workshop Canceled the Last CEO
- Games Workshop Takes a Very Passive-Aggressive Stance
- Proof Playtesting Warhammer is a Myth
- GW Lost Control of Tournaments Again
What do you think about Games Workshop not being in charge of Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar anymore?
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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 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.
