Games Workshop: The History & The Hate!
The Beard November 1, 202373
66
73 Likes
In today’s Special Episode, Beard explores the negative view that is occasionally drawn upon Games Workshop and the reasons for it, as well as a history of the company spanning from the 70s to the present day.
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This video feels off. Like commericials you see from large mega corporations when they are trying to do PR recovery after some kind of scandal they got in trouble for. Using your stock analysis GW just reported well below expectations and fell 6.8% and is expecting bad returns in its future quarters because of US sales. A quick look at their financials well show they have stagnated the last 4 quarters in growth. They saw a rise during the pandemic but have stagnated since. Not only that the hate section feels like clickbait its only about 1 minute on minor… Read more »
Really enjoyed this video, I’ve been playing 40K along time and all my in person interactions in stores, games or tournaments have been positive, even if we were moaning about some decision we didn’t like it was constructive. Online seems so much more focused on the negativity, partially to generate views I’m sure but it can be so off-putting especially to new players. Really glad to have positive TTT coverage, the teams attitude towards the game is why I watch and encourage others to do the same.
There’s going to be “haterz” with anything successful. However, GW has a long and distinguished list of things they’ve done to piss fans off that are legitimate grievances. Hell, the “no new model so we pull the existing model and existing rules” by itself is enough (Chaos Lord w/Jumppack anyone). That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure Lawrence gave you an earful when you were making this, without even having to go to inside baseball.
I hoped that you would meaningfully engage with the reasons people have for being negative about GW – terrible wages, questionable practices around IP, soaring prices and dividends to shareholders, erasure of creators.
I think it’s dari to say you didn’t. I don’t come to TT for incisive social commentary, but this was still a disappointingly shallow video.
Loved how this video was delivered as Beard is always a delight!
However, this just comes across as a shill piece for GW. It doesn’t really cover or discuss any valid criticisms of the company, and just seems like a promo piece to say “hey, leave GW alone!”.
Swing and a miss, guys! Only your first ever one though 😅
That’s why I love you guys !
This is a much less click bait title.
A couple of things regarding GW. Firstly, have they done some ridiculous things in the past? Absolutely. However, they are not the worst when it comes to treating the fan base badly. You only have to look at Hasbro and their handling of Magic the Gathering to see how a bit company can treat fans. In terms of cost of GW products (a frequent grumble), the prices are bonkers really. However I have always said that this is a luxury hobby, and not a necessity. Glad to be part of TT, definitely a more positive place to be 🙂
Hating on GW is just easy social capital, which I think is what drives a lot of it. Anyway, you wanted fun stuff! I just recently finished a kitbash/conversion of a Wolf Lord On Thunderwolf for my Space Wolves. Its like… 7 different kits and some custom sculpting and I took my time to paint it to the best of my current ability and I’m so very, very stoked on it. It’s the perfect model for my army. I’ve had more than one person in our local league tell me they wished there was a prize for best kitbash/conversion and… Read more »
Love this, I separate the noise from the joy and just play/paint. At this time we should embrace the love of the hobby. The social aspect is what I love the most, meeting a fellow hobbyist and making a new friend , is there a hobby better for creating this dynamic?
I had a 15 year break from the hobby. But when I moved to a new home in a new part of the world I didn’t know anyone. A mate up the road told me he was into a nerdy hobby, upon further inquiry I found that it was 40k, I dusted off my old models from the shed, and the rest is history. I wouldn’t know anyone outside of work on the Sunshine Coast if it wasnt for 40k. Now I help to run a burgeoning gaming club and have dozens of mates. I love to hate on GW’s… Read more »
The price vs quality is a massive issue. We all want balance, it’s never going to be perfectly balanced but some of the releases in 9th and the start of 10th you couldn’t convince me they adequatly test played it. They are treating it like a video game they can patch when they need but it doesn’t work with hard printed books and models you glue together. Look at whats happened at Blizzard with Overwatch when they don’t actually care about their products. If its going to be this expensive quality assurance is important. I remember the 9th edition Tsons… Read more »
I love the warhammer worlds, the model sculpts are generally fantastic and elements of the game can be great fun. My main issue is that despite having market dominance and consistently making a profit in the last few years they: Pay their staff appallingly. Do not credit their artists. Release poorly produced and realised systems (new webstore, warhammer plus, the warhammer vault that constantly crashes, warhammer apps). Gouge their customers as much as possible, even putting model price rises aside the current method of trying to force customers to pay for a book and for an app subscription to play… Read more »
Because GW actively fails to learn from many of their mistakes – and those that they do acknowledge, it takes too long to action anything.
Let’s be real, this was just an excuse to use the Stonks meme on the channel wasnt it.
(I want to stress that I love these behind the curtain stuff, more please!)
Well presented and written guys, I’d appreciate a roundtable discussion where you guys address some of the problems more (rules inconsistencies/prices going up a ridiculous amount/stopping artists and 3rd party creators creating things to do with the IP etc).
I recently got my buddy into 40k again after not playing any wargames for 10 years or so, and just a single Talos for Drukhari is £37.50, and that’s a comparatively small model. The barrier to entry for new people is getting worse and worse.
Is that Librarian the reason why you turned to Chaos!?
I enjoy the worlds of Warhammer, these settings have given me and friends much enjoyment over the decades of being part of this hobby. I also miss the simpler times of blister packs and not understanding rules, no internet to tell me I’m playing wrong, or that the unit isn’t optimal. The times where I’d paint models and stare at them lined up in formation. Then we’d play made games, in trench networks and built up cities, going along with whatever was fun. Recent years have been trying to keep up with rules for the armies I collect, but that’s… Read more »
I was born in 1995 but I do remember when I was younger my brother set up a Warhammer after school club, we would paint models and play games, we had fun playing those games and one game in particular was lord of the rings elves vs space marines 😂 we mixed and matched which ever armies we had but still used the rules from the respective books, the highlight of the match was when lord Elrond destroyed a land raider to win the match 😂
Just came here to say I love you guys and the comments on the public version of this video, in particular, I think just go to show the point you’re making. Please don’t be disheartened by the response beard. You’re a legend.
Having taken a break from GW since fourth edition 40K and seventh edition fantasy to explore other gaming systems, I feel as though GW is perhaps in the best place it has been since the early 1990s. I always loved the imagination and lots of different game systems, so found the reduced focus on main games less exciting. Since I have returned, I have played Blood Bowl, Necromunda, and, due to the enthusiasm of TT, returned to 40K. The quality of the models has increased exponentially since I last purchased GW products. They combine the character of the past with… Read more »
Bloomin’ brilliant video Mr. Beard! Kudos to you Sir!
I think you have hit the nail squarely on the head Mr Beard, fantastic video boss👍
Not going to name names but there are hate-creators on YouTube that will latch on to any negative point and pump out videos on it, including for GW products. They get a lot of views but it’s just so exhausting to try and keep up with the latest controversy again and again. After clicking “Don’t recommend channel” on the hate-farmers, I’ve been enjoying the hobby much more by just hobbying and playing games with my friend group. I’m not saying the answer to bad business practices is to stick your fingers in your ears and say la-la-la like theyre not… Read more »
My parents got Warhammer Quest after they got married and painted up all the orcs, Minotaurs and other creatures. I remember being young and playing TTRPG with a few cousins with my Dad as the DM I would always pick the elf or barbarian if my cousin was over. Good times. My mum is an amazing artist and loved entering competitions in the local gaming store, my favourite of hers was the metal Orc Shokk attack gun(Orcs are her favourite, old world and 40K). I don’t know where I’d be without this hobby. I took a large break to be… Read more »
A box of 6 banshees in 1993 cost $58CAD accounting for inflation.
A box of 5 banshees in 2023 is $75CAD.
So many more of my friends would play GW games if they were less expensive. I love GW games and fully agree with those saying it’s cost per hobby hour is worth it but the price and the price increases have been a bit much and I wish it was more accessable for more people.
I usually love your videos and see you as a very personable bunch. Unfortunately this video comes off as a mindless ‘brand’ telling people not to have legitimate concerns over something they’re basically funded by.
Great video to ‘plant a flag’, there is too much negativity in the game sometimes! It is a great community and I’ve found a new friendship group through local clubs/store etc, this all stems from the same company, where would we be without it? I would urge everyone to not get drawn into the negativity of the GW haters – after all, they too are continuing to play the games…
Beard good
Beard this video is amazing! I would love to see more videos like this 🔥.
very well said (youngster 😉 )! Yes there are a lot of aspects of GW that grind my teeth, for me its the game mechanics of 40k and AoS and the editing (I do wonder if they use dyslexics to proof read sometimes), so instead of whining or be frustrated while playing (which is very annoying of you opponents/ friends after a very short time), I explore and play other games… 30k is more up my street and I am having a fantastic time with Bloodbowl and Underworlds… are GW products expensive, of cours and that is totally normal!! We… Read more »
Disillusioned with GW, that’s what people are. Not for the service, but for an unfulfillable dream anyway. #unshushtainabawl
And also, it needs to be said, GW has to deal with addicts. They sadly know it…
ps/ if ever GW sees this: the jump packs are not good, botched work, really.
ps2/ i binned three comments now, but that contentious title led to nothing, other than that really enjoyed Beard’s video, always a hit 🙂
Born in 1969
Was just a boy of 12ish when Warhammer Fantasy 1st Edition was released.
Was 18 years old when I watched 40K Rogue Trader released into my life.
…and here I am, still loving every bit of it.
Is GW perfect? … nope
Is anybody, or any corporation? … nope.
Relax, enjoy, be happy.
😊 … … Simon
I absolutely agree. I’ve been saying for a while that I love Warhammer, but have issues with games workshop. However, the former cannot exist without the latter! That said, I’m really enjoying these history videos you guys have started putting out.! As far as recent events in the hobby goes, I attended my first RTT a couple months ago (after playing on and off for the last 20 years!) and had an absolute blast and anticipate playing at another one in January! In addition, I’ve been participating in an ongoing painting challenge called 12 months of hobby on bolter and… Read more »
First of all: great job, Beard! This was nicely done. I like this new kind of documentary-like videos you guys are putting out. Second of all: I hate you for being that much younger than me. It shouldn’t be allowed. Regarding the theme of the video, I definitely don’t hate GW and I despise the clikbait videos and similar things that try to push that sentiment. That said, I don’t love GW either. I think that in the last few years they did get quite a bit better, especially in communicating with their customers, and I like that they are… Read more »
Its more disappointment than hate. We (mostly) all love GW and Warhammer, many of us have grown up with it, it helped shape who we are and its a big part of our lives. That’s why its so disappointing when they do something bad, like overcharging for models or forcing you to buy things that’ll be outdated in a short space of time. It makes the fans feel like the love and respect is one sided, and maybe the really are (or have become) just another Amazon or Starbucks.
Thanks for a positive and balanced perspective, as always!!! Games were made to bring peple together for some good times. Play with tokens, house rule, use Legendary units, play the way that brings your group together.
This was great, Beard. Well done mate, couldn’t agree more.
I mean… without GW there is no TT! That would be completly unacceptable!
Keep being bosses TT!
Not related to the video, more to the general topic, but I do think one component is this identity crisis, for the lack of better term, that GW is at the moment dealing with when it comes to the fluff. Now to be clear, I don’t think that’s the primary issue behind some of the more valid criticism such as the price of the hobby and certain balancing issues, rather that for me it is something in the background that is accentuating and spurring some of those other negative feelings partially because the world itself no longer feels consistent. To… Read more »
An excellent series of points well made! The human mind is built to lend greater weight to negative rather than positive experiences, which makes perfect sense when you consider we still run on 40 000 year old software designed to make us not get eaten by lions. It does have a tendancy to become overwhelming when applied to a series of social media services pertaining to toy soldiers however. I often find myself becoming frustrated and downcast if immersed within this sea of negativity, meaning I tend to avoid them at all costs. I don’t doubt that others like me… Read more »
It’s truly an information overload since I just started last year and the prices are kinda brutal when it comes to getting everything together to even just start collecting and painting, but I’m having a blast learning about the lore and just figuring out how to build and make the models look nice. The amazing content you guys make combined with the passion and personalities of all the hosts made this the first time I ever signed up for a subscription to support a creator and I couldn’t be happier that I found the content. I’ve been slowly building sisters… Read more »
Chaos Lord Joe just doesn’t have same ring to it
I feel the hate for GW, at least for a lot of seasoned players is similar to the hate bands get, when they become popular or “selling out”. People who bought the product “back then” somehow feel entitled to protect it from changing. As if buying minis or records would give you some ownership of the company/band. Of course there are a lot of decisions by GW that didn’t sit right with me – limited releases that were sold out in minutes, moving units to legends that I just had bought etc… But in the end as long as they… Read more »
Realy enjoyed the history lesson, I didn’t know much about the history. Totally agree with your message at the end! Why focus on the negatives of a hobby you sink hours and hours into. Thanks for the video!
I dont hate games workshop, they do annoy me sometimes, but that’s principally due to 2 factors: Aesthetic Choices: some people may like the aesthetic of the Desolator Marines, the Baby Carrier Dreadknight, the mario cart Invader ATVs, personally I think they are examples of poor design choices and a lack of quality assurance in the production studio. I get it, aesthetics are subjective, but I do resent that, given some of the stunning miniatures that GW produce, miniatures like these are a waste of production and marketing resources and we could have got something better. Release structures: Gatekeeping miniatures… Read more »
Its probably in the works as I speak, but I’d like to hear all of your opinions on the games workshop-forge world merge, which I think may possibly mean that forge world models could be used in matched play again!
I think a part of it is also now GW being undisputably the biggest company in the market. You see it in TTRPGs and video games as well; large companies can do no right, whilst small studios are praised for standing up to the industry giants. Maybe we all just love an underdog story and don’t want to admit the big companies got there for a reason 😅
I think *hate* is too strong of a word for my experience, more disappointment. I’m a pretty casual player but love building and painting. Over time I’ve just gotten priced out of the hobby. You’ll see these great reveals for beautiful sculpts, just to see that a single miniature is $60 US. Or, worse, that a centerpiece model is pushing $200. With the upcoming Amazon show, I’m interested in what their overall pricing strategy is going to be. You’ll have casual show-watchers likely be curious about Warhammer and look into their products. I can imagine your normal consumer would be… Read more »
Positivity! as a fellow 1987 child who lost the hobby in mid 2000’s. I found it again in 2020 during lockdown, living locally to GW i know many people who work there and love it. thanks to them we have great miniatures and a fun game. sure many things could be better but most of those are subjective and when catering for thousands of customers thats hard. my main gripe at the moment is i want to be able to pay less and just have digital codex access for a fee… would be better for everyone then shelling out on… Read more »