Possible reasoning for Release schedule

[Bryant]

So, I was at my FLGS, where the owner was unpackign new releases from GW, including the new Hobbit kits. ($85 for 3 trolls! )

So, according to the owner, GW has been having this fairly crappy release schedule, because Newline Cinema has been pushing GW to try for harder releases to prove they cn hold their IP.

[Soap]

I was talking to a guy who runs a shop / gaming club. He has got one box set for the hobbit ordered, but he said nobody who regularly go there are interested in the new game. He also said, GW on the whole have been dropping in sales / demand.

[scotti88]

It doesn't help that you can almost anything on eBay at half the GW price. I go through my club but they even struggle to get metals

[Deleted]

Look, they took a childhood passion / hobby and turned it into a monster. Prices have doubled, quantity has dropped and therefore, demand is dropping.

[vegna]

yep as above, I could of swarn my first guardsmen from GWS only cost me £12 :/ but yeah they've made it so the hobby is no longer affordable unless ur in it, and it seems a lot more are selling their armies than are buying it from GWS. it seems to be a little like the stock market, people bought their armies when they were cheap, waited 10 years, GWS increase the price every like 9 months by about 10% and then at peak you sell and then the market crashes and we all get free minis from GWS!

*note some/all of these facts may not be true

[Deleted]

Yeah something tells me they'll have to reach bankrupcy to realise their fans walked out on them. I love GW but these price hikes, pathetic in store stock and smaller box sets are making me sweat rage

[emptyhat]

How much did your first pint cost you?

[Deleted]

Not enough, I wish they'd remembered my life long ban. Ah well

[Ponen19]

It surprises me they still make LotR models, I've never met anyone who's played more than the starter set, and even that only when they're bored.

I've said before that GW has a horrible business model. They're whole operation relies on their customers base buying new models and books, but the models are static and the books are generally a one time purchase until the next edition comes out 3-4 years later. So once I spend my $600 dollars in models and books, I never have to give GW another cent and I can play for the next 20 years (unless I want to get the lastest edition, but even that is pretty much optional). They try to squeeze more money out by making new models with different rules or different variations of older models, but that's just a quick cash grab with the same problems. Eventually GW will either go under or get to the point they have to cut their prices by significant amounts in order to get people to justify paying that much for plastic army men.

[magot]

Dec 2, 2012 23:52:32 GMT -5 Ponen19 said:

It surprises me they still make LotR models, I've never met anyone who's played more than the starter set, and even that only when they're bored.

I've said before that GW has a horrible business model. They're whole operation relies on their customers base buying new models and books, but the models are static and the books are generally a one time purchase until the next edition comes out 3-4 years later. So once I spend my $600 dollars in models and books, I never have to give GW another cent and I can play for the next 20 years (unless I want to get the lastest edition, but even that is pretty much optional). They try to squeeze more money out by making new models with different rules or different variations of older models, but that's just a quick cash grab with the same problems. Eventually GW will either go under or get to the point they have to cut their prices by significant amounts in order to get people to justify paying that much for plastic army men.

that's not quite right.
yes, people with a complete army do not much more to buy.
but underestimated the hobby feeling. You will always some newer model, a newer book and even a completely new army.
People also exchange between 40K and Fantasy (myself).

and most importantly, don´t forget the new young players.
it's not for nothing that the Withe Dwarf becoming a promotional leaflet for young children.
it's not for nothing that the painting techniques increasingly becomes painting at number.

and remember that children still spend money easily, despite the crisis, which is in part still just past them.

thus I do understand the Hype of LoTR, it doesn´t matter if these kids becomes players for a long time.
It is selling the starter sets (produced an masse in a cheap country) that lets the money flow.

that´s what you realy call a "spin off"

[dougeye]

you see i see it quite differently...

GW will always have its hardcore fans who have a little cash to spend and will keep buying products if only to have a huge army. (or 2)

Other not so hardcore fans will make do with a 1500 point army and just not buy any more, or pack in the hobby completly.

The problem GW have at this point in time is over expansion, yes a business should expand when the going is good but when sales drop you need to be able to keep those stores open. High street shopping in the UK has dropped significantly on the whole, in the case of 40k i can just click a few buttons now and order an army at 25% discount from an online shop which will be delivered in 2-3 days. I would love to be loyal to GW but like most people im not going to pass up a bargain especially at these recommended retail prices.

GW need to bring out the next big thing and have a whole new game / product range to catch peoples interest but at the same time make it affordable.

Even if its a spin off of 40k but one that has its own longjevity(? spelling lol)

I would personally buy epic 40k if it was affordable and tbh could see a market for a game that has minitures somewere between the scale of 40k and Epic 40k. This would allow for larger armies on the same size playing surface but not so small you need a magnifying glass to appreciate the infantry lol

[dougeye]

Dec 3, 2012 2:33:26 GMT -5 magot said:

Dec 2, 2012 23:52:32 GMT -5 Ponen19 said:

It surprises me they still make LotR models, I've never met anyone who's played more than the starter set, and even that only when they're bored.

I've said before that GW has a horrible business model. They're whole operation relies on their customers base buying new models and books, but the models are static and the books are generally a one time purchase until the next edition comes out 3-4 years later. So once I spend my $600 dollars in models and books, I never have to give GW another cent and I can play for the next 20 years (unless I want to get the lastest edition, but even that is pretty much optional). They try to squeeze more money out by making new models with different rules or different variations of older models, but that's just a quick cash grab with the same problems. Eventually GW will either go under or get to the point they have to cut their prices by significant amounts in order to get people to justify paying that much for plastic army men.

that's not quite right.
yes, people with a complete army do not much more to buy.
but underestimated the hobby feeling. You will always some newer model, a newer book and even a completely new army.
People also exchange between 40K and Fantasy (myself).

and most importantly, don´t forget the new young players.
it's not for nothing that the Withe Dwarf becoming a promotional leaflet for young children.
it's not for nothing that the painting techniques increasingly becomes painting at number.

and remember that children still spend money easily, despite the crisis, which is in part still just past them.

thus I do understand the Hype of LoTR, it doesn´t matter if these kids becomes players for a long time.
It is selling the starter sets (produced an masse in a cheap country) that lets the money flow.

that´s what you realy call a "spin off"

but kids get their money from parents and unless the parents have money the theory doesn't work. I remember when i used to ask my father for money to buy some warhammer must be back in ooh 99/2000 when you could get 20 metal guard for about £12 - £15 and he used to say there a bit expensive can't you play with plastic army soldiers (you know the ones lol) or the other comment was your not wasting your money on warhammer again are you? lol

we all need to remeber aswell that as shameful as it may be to some 90% of use are either geeks or persons of limited social skills if we are honest lol. This being the case GW does not have a massive instant fan base.

edit - i should also add im currently in a degree for 3D modelling/ game design as im going to work in the videogames industry, i asked several staff/managers at several GW stores if the 40k Videogame franchises increased sales when for example Dawn of War came out / released a sequel and they all said not realy, they said they had a few people take up the hobby but realy it was no different to having a good advertising campaign. Its the classic why buy GW minitures and spend mabye £1000 on a decent size army + all the books etc when you can get an Xbox and a copy of spacemarine for say £300 these days + you can play other games on the Xbox.

Im 25 now and past all the pressures of peers etc, i absolutly love 40k and collecting / painting it, but i still feel very uncomfortable standing in a GW playing a battle with big open shop windows lol it would not be so bad in larger stores where your hidden at the back lol but my local store the whole thing is on display, obviously this may just be my own beef but i suspect there are alot of closet 40k gamers out there lol

and also i feel very uncomfortable being in a shop, a place of sale and somewere you buy things with a poor licencee or manager trying to make a living and not actually buying much, this stems from my parents having a small business, used to hate people hanging around not buying much lol

The tables would be better in a seperate room lol

edit 2 - folowing my earlier edit a good business model i can see is a videogame franchise that has multiplayer events that can only be played in a GW gaming centre store, yes i know most GW stores would not have the space but it would get the videogamers into the stores for mulitplayer tournaments with prizes etc. i dunno its a straw to clutch.

[wulfric]

Personally, I think 6ed has done at least one good thing for GW - allies. I have a big chaos collection and a growing guard army, but I'm going to add some allies over the next year. Certainly some loyalist marines, probably something to use as adeptus mechanicus as well. Allies are a start to a new army - once I've done a couple of allied marine detachments, I could see myself extending to a middling collection, maybe 3k points? If everyone picks up at least an allied detachment of perhaps 500-750 points, that's a good deal for the evil empire.

[Gerner]

I don't think that GW's miniatures are expensive (unless you live in Australia) compared to so many other hobbies or quality items.

I began mountainbiking again half a year ago and a cheap bike alone will cost you easily a thousand pounds, after that there comes all the other gear you need plus the expenses to travel back and forth.
You are probably thinking then "Well, you don't need new gear all the time.". Yes, we do. Things break, climate changes and driving around in forest all day wears down your bike. Plus you can always buy the newest and five gram lighter stuff.

Compared to GW miniatures, you can buy yourself two battleforces, a codex and two extra tanks for under 200 pounds. Easily enough for an army.

Every time I find another hobby I want to have a go at, I end up saying "Nope, too expensive".

Games Workshop does many bad things, but being an expensive hobby isn't one of them..

[Adkenpachi]

One word... Tennis.

[dougeye]

if you buy from GW and NOT a discount store your looking at

battleforces around £70 each + a £25 codex which is around £160-£165 + a tank at around £35 so thats you £200, minus a tank. you then need materials to paint the figures if you starting out. The hobby never stops at an army that size lol

[magot]

back on topic,

yes I do understand why GW takes the spin off of the Hobbit Movie.
world wide adds, the world wide HYPE of the movie.
yes, I would do some models, find a factory somewhere on the other side of the world, fill a bunch of 40foot containers and start selling.........
Yes I do understand that.

however I do agree with Dougeye that the policy of GW is not always likable if you play this game for more than a few years.

But looking at the figures of the annual report (you can see it when you follow the link on the GW home page investors relations (bottom), I think that the shareholders have no complaints.

Is all of this in balance for us, hobbyists for let's say 6-12 years? I have my doubts. (follow the topics regarding the WD and you know what I mean).

Is it in balance for the kids new to this hobby, yes I think it is.
Do I like that ? personally no,
Do I like the fact that it is a complete hobby with back ground story's, all the flexibility to compose, paint and play any army in your own way, that it is a hobby with painting, modeling, building combined with playing, social contacts, endless evenings of fun.

Yes I like that !
and yes I keep spending money for my hobby.

Magot.

[Soap]

I pretty much agree with all of the above comments. Your all right in your own way. I agree with dougeye about playing in stores. I'm not a stereotypical Warhammer player (I'm a closet geek), I don't tell anyone I collect unless I find out they collect it first. I have a very small selection of friends who also collect, but they drop out even more than I do! R/L get in the way quiet a lot.

What really bites my ass about GW, is when I fist started to collect, GW was about the hobby, not just selling more stuff. WD used to promote collecting, conventions, scenery building, new rules, and even mini game (remember the dark Elgar arena game).

The biggest mistake GW made store wise is with the 'specialist games'. Making them online ordering only means I can't impulse buy. Which is what I'm really bad for (not so much since prices rocketed the last couple of years). I would have dozens of blood bowl teams, battlefleet gothic, loads of necromunda gangs, and I would defiantly have get involved with Inquisitor. But they no longer sell them in shops (only inquisitor has never been sold in store I believe). I was put off online buying from living on a military base (see above comment about being closet geek). And now, prices are getting out of control for everything so I don't want to start collect more games. And even then I wouldn't, cos they is no support for them and they will never get updated.

[vegna]

I'd likely buy more models if they were cheap, I wanted a large tank force but too expensive. now with the changes made for 6th I'm damn happy I didn't cuz it would have trashed my army. I'm not investing any more cuz they seem to ruin the lists to try and make people buy new kits. they are reducing the number of people coming in to the hobby so it gets less money. My towns local GWS store is in a good location if it was a clothes shop as it's right near the high street which of course cuz its a gaming area puts people off. However one that's on a side street, sells other games seems to always have at least 6 people gaming, not counting those shopping, making, painting etc.