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GW Quietly Cancels Nova Open Warhammer Previews

New preview GW Warhammer community presenter facing audience with mic

Games Workshop seems to have once again canceled a Warhammer preview at the last second, potentially making the NOVA Open 2025 their latest victim. 

Updated August 27th, 2025, by Rob Baer with the latest information. 

Games Workshop is mixing things up for NOVA Open 2025, and it looks like all bets are off now. That’s right, after pulling the plug on events like the Dallas Open preview in 2025, plus the Tacoma and GenCon previews in 2024, NOVA was set to get a shiny new format, but that may not come to pass after all…

With no official preview announcement from GW, rumors are heating up that this could be the first Nova Open since their big online push in 2017 without a fresh batch of reveals. If that’s true, it’s a major break in tradition and a real letdown for fans expecting the usual hype train.

Here is what is happening now.

NOVA Open Preview: Big Changes, Bigger Hints

Games Workshop NOVA Open PreviewInstead of the standard slideshow and applause, this year’s NOVA Open Wednesday night preview will be an interactive event.

Games Workshop is teaming up with NOVA to give attendees an early peek at unreleased models, host Q&As with the GW crew, run live art sessions, throw in special games, offer event-only store discounts, and yes, even free beer.

nova open preview event 2025 social ad

However, since there wasn’t an online preview announcement, many are suggesting that the “viewing of unreleased models” may simply be GW showcasing kits that have already been previewed but not yet released.

primaris psyker hor wal guard angry frustrated

Or maybe GW is just lining up a sneakier play. They could roll out brand-new models no one’s seen yet, stacking the hype and cranking the FOMO to maximum before you even get to the real panic, trying to actually buy them once they go up for order.

BRAND NEW this year is the Wednesday Night Evening with Games Workshop extravaganza! Come for a full evening of fun, friends, and good times. And best of all, it's totally FREE! HOBBY: Armies on Parade: Pre-Judging (5–7PM) Show off your army your way. Get early access to a reserved judging zone in the International Ballroom and set up your force for max impact—lighting, angles, drama—however you want them seen. Judges will give your army the full spotlight before the chaos of general review begins. Want the best shot at making a statement? Get those armies judged before they are covered in gore from the GT! This is an opportunity to get your first round judging out of the way early! GAME: Space Marine 2 Team Tournament (5–7:30PM) Grab a controller, grab a battle-brother, and jump into the fray. Games Workshop’s bringing Xbox rigs and running a Space Marine 2 team tourney—casual, bloody, and a total blast. They ran it in Dallas and it slayed. We’re upping the stakes: winning team takes home $500 in store credit. For the Emperor! JOIN: Main stage events: GW Live Q&A, Trivia and Giveaways, Celebrate Charity (7:30-8:30PM) Cap the evening off with a live Q&A session with Games Workshop including trivia, giveaways, answers to your burning questions, and a celebration of NOVA Open's Charitable Giving. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Free store credit voucher just for showing up Free Beer Tastings Live look at pre-release models being painted Free Paint & take zone Open Gaming Giant Space Hulk Games Vendor Hall Early Access Special Warhammer Media Bar + hangout zones This is the night to kick off NOVA Open in style. Be there or be heretical.

Regardless, A Night With Games Workshop runs from 5 PM to 8 PM EST this week on August 27th. If you’re going to NOVA in person, you’re in for a good time.

Everyone else? 

We’ll have all the updates right here once the information makes it out of the event or is officially revealed by Games Workshop. 

Here are what new Warhammer Previews we think may be on deck next:

Eyes on Dark Eldar

dark eldar detachment art eldari drukhari hor walNova’s around the corner, and Dark Eldar might finally get their moment. They’re the last major faction still waiting for updates this edition. Rumors suggest Lady Malys might show up (and there was the leaked sprue), and there’s been talk of a new multi-part Archon kit.

People have even dared to dream about a new Vect centerpiece model (but we feel this rumor pops up every edition). If Vect does come back, it would feel like a big win for the Drukhari. 

That said, most of the real refresh is expected to hit with 11th Edition next year. GW has already started investing narrative time in Commorragh, so the signs are there.

New Assault Terminators

Assault TerminatorsThe chatter around a Space Marine Codex 2.0 hit peak saturation, and now it’s looking like that hype train may have derailed (with the recent reveals). Games Workshop promised free PDFs for updated rules, which makes a full-blown codex launch feel unnecessary. That said, there’s still a glimmer of hope clinging to one thing: the rumored Terminator box set.

This box supposedly includes new assault Terminators, a Captain, a Chaplain, an Ancient, and those standard Terminators we saw earlier this edition. The twist? It’s not pegged as a Christmas Battleforce box, which makes some folks think it might be tied to an updated Space Marine launch. If this turns out to be the holiday box instead, expect disappointed wallet goblins everywhere.

Grey Knights vs World Eaters: Kill Team Incoming?

World Eaters vs Grey KnightsWarhammer’s official Instagram teased some fresh Grey Knights artwork, and fans immediately went full detective mode. The piece features World Eaters clashing with Grey Knights, hinting at more than just a flashy poster.

There’s speculation about a Kill Team box featuring these two factions. Between the leaked images and whispers of new models, it’s not a stretch. The artwork even includes a demonic monstrosity with a buzzsaw arm that doesn’t seem to have a one-for-one model quite yet. 

It could be artistic flair, or it could be foreshadowing (but we know GW doesn’t like to make art that they don’t then make into box sets). Either way, the idea of Grey Knights storming into blood-drenched World Eater terrain has folks fired up.

Final Thoughts From Us

Warhammer Preview presentation Nova open staffer with Community polo speaking to crowd 40k wal hor

Free. Beer. So, NOVA Open 2025 is shaping up to be quite the event from the looks of it. In-person reveals, hands-on previews, live Q&As, and maybe even a few plastic surprises.

Space Marines might not be getting Codex 2.0, but those assault Terminators still sound tasty. Grey Knights and World Eaters squaring off? Yes, please. And if the Drukhari rumors pan out, Vect might finally crawl out of that glass case again.

Or it could all be a bit of confusion by Games Workshop, and there won’t be anything “new” revealed at all.

See the Latest 40k Roadmap Here

What do you think we’ll see revealed at NOVA Open, and do you like the new way they will be doing the reveal in person?
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Captainbat
Captainbat
1 day ago

The khorne vs grey knights artwork is the full cover artwork from the Armageddon crusade book. But I still think it hints at new models, because the grey knights infantry does look a bit different to the current models.