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BREAKING – The Million Dollar Blogger Calls it Quits

By Rob Baer | December 29th, 2015 | Categories: Warhammer 40k Rumors

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The news site that was served by Games Workshop for allegedly violating their Intellectual Property, is shutting down! Come see the latest on the IP case.

Last week we brought you the story of a news site in Germany that had been served by Games Workshop for allegedly violating their Intellectual Property. Yesterday they posted on their site that they are shutting down because of all “the haters”.

While it’s unclear if they were actually in actual legal trouble, they definitely seemed to be under the microscope from both our article last week, as well as the one on 40kings as well.

In both cases the comment threads were very unkind to the owner of Games Trust Ronald Vrkic.

Vrkic vowed to fight GW tooth and nail on the IP issue. However it looks like they haven’t covered any new media releases since then, and yesterday announced they are closing their company.

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Via Games Trust 12-28-2015 (google translate)

dear readers of Games Trust

the owner of the magazine, we want to thank you for the past five years in which we wrote 43,800 news releases, have experienced 1740 articles, zig interviews and contests and wonderful discussions.
We were always in mind strives to bring you an honest, independent, current magazine. Without any advertising without payed content.
A magazine by hobbyists for hobbyists!
The thanks goes especially to our 8000-9000 readers per day, our editors and to all those who contributed in any way to Games Trust.
And above all, I thank my family who gave me the space to do all this and not only once it arrived at shortly.
Thank you so very much!

Games Trust has been switched to “read only” mode and is the end of January completely off the grid.
Marcel and I had an idea in 2009, a vision of what we wanted to transpose. Something that was missing in the entertainment sector. Marcel had written at that time was a few years for another magazine and I came out of it, was a project manager and got me to do things like IT Governance care. So actually the best prerequisites to tackle such a project. So also the division of roles from the start was crystal clear. We both have us the way to know about a clan to Warhammer Online and perfectly understood us. We have not though can transpose in all points as we liked wanted it. It may be that we ourselves have made ​​mistakes in the beginning, or we have to rely on things / people who were very prone to error.

But one must also say that Marcel and I were the only solid people on this project were, which are more than 5 years were busy 365 days a year with games Trust (broken for 5 years down the 24 News and 1 item per day – whether weekend or holiday). We were able to develop some good editors, for which we are very grateful, and one way or another media attention at the time. I hope our editors will quickly find another magazine. Unfortunately, we did more and more taken up with the times a certain Internet culture note of what was recorded anything but positive.
It is relatively easy to discredit a person in public life, public attack, and to kick again and again, if you behind a fake account on Facebook or hiding an anonymous comment.

Very often we had to cope, although we actually only reports about our hobby with passion with insinuations, hatred and envy. A hobby is to make the fun, a hobby that you would like to make. That is why our last appeal to all the haters: Consider please, why do you operate this hobby. Think about times but if there ever deserve you, an editor personally attack behind a fake account? And considering you even know if it operates the hobby.
We do not take our hobby for Hater!

Again many, many thanks to all our loyal readers!

In the interest of full disclosure, Gamestrust did try to comment anonymously on our site here, however we were able to tell it was them due to our advanced DISQUS comment system.

Original Comment:

One of the world worst articel itself…
So the letter from GW was on 02nd of December…
and so far nothing to hear from GW legal
seems like Germany is really the country to take photos of the WD…
oh and i forgote, did you saw that your qoute from pz-news was from the year of 2010???

And yes there are huge differance between Englisch and American law and the German law… huge 😉

And follow-up comment:

Oh man, it seems GW law is on holiday since the 2nd of december… in your opinion…really ? multi millionaire company like GW with 590 british pound on the stock exchange for 4 weeks on holiday
please, ask natfka how longs it is take for the DMCA for his site?
happy holiday
keep on joking ?

It is also unclear if they were served more legal notices via Games Workshop, or if folding was just a decision Games Trust came to of their own accord.

Overall it takes a lot of work to run a successful website that provides both news and hobby content (trust us we know), so we’re very grateful to them for their five years in the hobby. Good luck to the staff on their next project out there.

Follow along with the full story from last week below

GW’s Next Legal Battle, The Million Dollar Blogger?

About the Author: Rob Baer

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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.