It looks like Games Workshop is not in charge of tournaments and organized play anymore, with the most recent statement from Frontline Gaming and LVO.
With the release of the Balance dataslate and points changes, GW basically unleashed a new 9.5 edition of the game. It changed tons of points, how armies work, and way more. This, in itself, really isn’t a bad thing, as it keeps the meta interesting and more balanced than it has ever been (if you ask us.)
However… when it comes to tournaments that are scheduled right around the same time as when these changes drop, like one of the biggest 40k tournaments in the world, things have a way of going sideways quickly…
Games Workshop is Not in Charge of Tournaments Anymore
Now that the new Warhammer 40k Balance Dataslate has dropped (and we know that the Chapter Approved 2023 Arks of Omens book will be legal one day before the 2023 LVO rule cut-off date), hobbyists attending the world’s biggest 40k tournament have been wondering how this will affect them.
Coming from Frontline Gaming, here is how an exerpt from their statement on they are handling this situation that Games Workshop dumped in their lap:
We now find ourselves in a position where GW has released in total what amounts to a 9.5 edition of Warhammer 40k between the new detachment, missions, balance update, points changes, etc. The changes, while assuredly exciting for many players to dig into, came suddenly and so we’re now making the call to retroactively roll our new rules submission deadline back to the 31st of December, 2022. Any rules that were legal at that time will be in play at the LVO. Anything after that, will not.
To us, this just shows how much Games Workshop is not willing to play ball with anyone outside of the company. Even though this is one of the biggest tournaments of the year for their game, and GW themselves actually attends to make a huge announcement via one of thier previews.
It seems strange they use this event as a springboard for their releases, but instead of waiting even a week to drop these rules changes, they do it right before the deadline for the LVO.
This almost feels like they inadvertently making things way harder, not only for LVO but also players, than they really need to. Also, this means no new rules for Imperial Guard too, unfortunately, but we will see them hit competitive play soon enough.
Tournaments Taking it Into Their Hands
According to several industry insiders we spoke with, Games Workshop insists that “they are too big of a company to plan around any other one event that is not theirs.” To be frank, this attitude is not unexpected, but it’s also not really acceptable either and seems to echo their treatment of independent stores and hobbyists in general.
So it seems like instead of waiting on Games Workshop to work with tournaments, tournaments will have to start working around Games Workshop and come up with their own sensible policies. This recent update from FLG shows just how hard it becomes to run a tournament when GW doesn’t want to play ball.
It really seems to have unnecessarily put them under the gun to make a big decision that should have just been avoided. It just doesn’t feel good for anyone, as for such a huge change to the game, you can’t really expect staff and players to adapt so quickly to such big changes.
Overall we get why the LVO just had to take things into their own hands and change their policy because GW wouldn’t play along. From the outside looking in, it seems like a very strange decision from GW, but it affects not only the people who run the tournaments but also the hobbyists that are playing.
In our opinion, this was totally preventable. It’s just another set of bad optics from Games Workshop and really cements the fact that GW seems to only care about what’s best for their bottom line, aka current quarter profits, above all else.
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 are your thoughts on LVO not using the new balance dataslate rules, and the way Games Workshop continues to behave?
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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.
