Games Workshop’s focus on what we could call its “side games” may be the reason shelves stay empty for months when it comes to its cash cow, Warhammer 40k.
Let’s be honest, Warhammer 40k is the main event. The heavyweight. The game that gets people into plastic crack and makes wallets weep. But if you’ve tried to actually buy 40k kits in the past couple of years, you’ve probably run into a familiar story: everything’s out of stock.
And not just niche units, entire product lines vanish faster than your patience when a resin model breaks in the same spot again.
Meanwhile, Games Workshop keeps pumping out kits and rulebooks for Horus Heresy, Necromunda, and now The Old World, like they’ve got unlimited manufacturing bandwidth.
Spoiler: they don’t, not even close. Here’s what may be happening behind the scenes at Games Workshop.
Always Sold Out & Rarely Restocked
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: Emperor’s Children. They launched with all the noise you’d expect from a fan-favorite faction, and yet… try finding Noise Marines or Tormentors in the months after release. Go ahead. We’ll wait.
Yup, they were all out of stock.
These weren’t just limited-run miniatures either. We’re talking about mainline plastic kits that are supposed to be available after the hype dies down. Instead, the only consistent thing about them is how inconsistently you can buy them.
Unless you were lucky during the first pre-order window, which, let’s face it, felt more like trying to score Taylor Swift tickets, you’re stuck waiting months for restocks.
Meanwhile, in Side (Quest) Game Land…
Now, let’s take a peek at the other set of store shelves when the Emperor’s Children was released.
See all those Old World High Elves? That shiny Mechanicum lineup for Horus Heresy? Oh, look, full stock.
It begs the question: who’s prioritizing what here?
If the same team is juggling rules for Horus Heresy, Necromunda, and Age of Sigmar (yes, AoS is a side game if the same department is writing all of these- fight me), then it’s no wonder the production pipeline is getting jammed.
There’s only so much capacity to go around, and if it’s being funneled into specialty products and niche systems, the core game (Warhammer 40k) suffers.
This Isn’t About Hating the Side Games
Let’s be clear: no one’s saying Games Workshop should cancel Necromunda or stop making cool Mechanicum stuff. These games add flavor, and the minis are often amazing. The issue is balance, and right now, that balance feels way off.
When Warhammer 40k is the flagship game, it deserves flagship attention. That means having core units actually available outside of launch windows. It means not waiting four months to buy a kit that’s prominently displayed in every piece of promotional art.
Every new Warhammer Underworlds kit equals no new Karandas Phoenix Lord model for 40k.
What Needs to Change
Here’s what GW can do to clean up this mess:
- Prioritize restocks of mainline 40K kits before rolling out another limited-run side game.
- Split resources more cleanly, dedicated rules and production teams for main vs. side games.
- Cap the launch frequency for spin-offs if they’re choking the 40K supply line.
- Communicate timelines more clearly so people know when they can expect a restock, without checking the webstore daily like it’s eBay.
Final Thoughts: Keep the Warhammer Hobby Accessible Overall
It shouldn’t be this hard to get your hands on 40k models. The more GW leans into flashy launches for side projects while the core game struggles to stay stocked, the more players get frustrated or worse, give up.
The hobby is supposed to be fun. Waiting months for basic troops isn’t. If Games Workshop wants to keep the 40k player base happy, it’s time to put the main game back in the main spotlight.
How could we say something so controversial, yet so true?
It’s easy, because right now it feels like Games Workshop is spending too much time on the side quests and forgetting who’s actually buying the lion’s share of product.
See the Latest Warhammer 40k Allocations
