GW- pushing the licensing even further...

[Denzark]

Firstly, I should say, I am not pushing this as a cheap wind up. Secondly, I have absolutely no provenance for this - except it comes from a guy in a wargames group I go to who I trust, and this is how the story goes.

On the group, he posts this link:

http://www.dreamsaway.co.uk/#!warhammer-40000/c1p3b

Which if you click it, should go to a sort of happy clappy 'head shop' selling dream catchers and that sort of tat. Anyhoo, at link they claim to be having a contract with GW to create 'exclusive licensed products'.

The FB conversation with my contact say:

'I would be very surprised if GW had licensed these'
'Not in a million years lol'
(him) 'Well I emailed GW it turns out they are lol'.

So, on face value:

A firm a pushing product is using GW IP

The firm claims it is an exclusive contract

My mate say he emailed GW and they confirmed it is legit.



So, with Toy fairs etc, and now this licensing, is GW pushing the boundaries?

[Mr Mystery]

Interesting stuff.

Got a mate who's a Space Woof fan, and he's moving house soon. Reckon that cushion would make a suitable house warming present.

[JamesP]

According to their website, "Established in 2003 in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Nemesis Now have specialised in fantasy and gothic giftware for over a decade supplying gifts, collectables, novelties and wooden toys to gift shops, department stores, tourist attractions, retail chains, online retailers, garden centres, market traders throughout the UK, Europe and thirty five countries globally."

And they have a page full of GW stuff: http://www.nemesisnow.com/nemesis-now-artist-ranges/games-workshop-warhammer-40000/

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

An Imperial Fist cushion does not sound comfortable!

[Erik Setzer]

Well, given that the below link is an official GW page pointing to basic print-on-demand stuff that anyone can do with, say, CafePress, I wouldn't be surprised:

http://licensing.games-workshop.com/spreadshirt-merchandise/

It does feel a bit off, like they're spreading their brand a bit too much, and having some merchandise that feels kind of "cheap" might not help the view of their IP. But it's very believable that they'd use another route.

I get the idea of making more money with their brand, but a better way would be to go through someone like Jinx. Might not make quite as much profit for them, but it looks better, and they can make sure people get quality products. For a company that talks up quality so much, you'd think that'd be important.

[Dawg]

'I would be very surprised if GW had licensed these'
'Not in a million years lol'
(him) 'Well I emailed GW it turns out they are lol'.

I've had this reaction too, and so have a number of other people. It gets rather grimdarkly amusing when you see stuff other gamers commenting on the same thing and posting their analysis.

Remember that Plants Vs Zombies look alike, Storm of Vengeance? Check this out around 7:30..

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CGXsOorkgpg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Or here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGXsOorkgpg

if my embed link doesn't work.

[Wolfshade]

I do like the journal, though most of these one has been able to do be uploading a jpeg to a relevant site for years. Like print your own coffee mugs etc.

I would buy a salamander fire guard...

[Erik Setzer]

Storm of Vengeance was one of the more unfortunate examples of them spreading their license all over the place for video games and tabletop games. Most of the tabletop games are fine (some are really good, and it's a shame you can't buy or play them in a GW store, so some of us had to play during lunch break or after the store closed at a nearby restaurant), but there are some stinkers in the video games, and some of them are just awful.

It's getting them money to keep profits up, but it still causes potential harm to the IP, which they claim is super valuable. Short-term gain but potential long-term harm. Still, that harm only goes as far as people remembering something like SoV vs. remembering Vermintide, Mordheim, BFG, Blood Bowl I and II, etc. There's a clunk of a MOBA out there, but a lot of people don't even know about it. And there's the ever-morphing MMO that I believe is now a shooter where you fight for worlds, but who knows when that'll actually release or what it'll be like. (And then there's the sad tale of the RPG we'll never get to play.)

If you want to see how crazy it is, go to their licensing site and check the number of licensed games. It'll take a moment to load all the icons.

[HsojVvad]

So, with Toy fairs etc, and now this licensing, is GW pushing the boundaries?

So I take it this would be what the new CEO or what ever position Mr Roundtree holds, means when they are "trying new revenue streams" or something like that.

It looks like GW is doing a lot of things so unKirby that who knows, maybe we will have actual good rules and FAQs in the future. :P

[Arkhan Land]

Imperial Guard Chucks Please! Thank You!


so how much does this fee cost? years ago i made molds out of the aquillas on my metal thunderhawk and use em for all sorts of cool cases/dice holders/journals. if im just kicking GW a percentage of what I make on paper can I break into "THE BIZ"?
(I am serious about the molds, not serious about the biz)

[Erik Setzer]

Posted this to the front page article, might be handy here.



AHA!

So, I was wondering how a tiny store offering ripoff "services" and using a website that has a vomit-inducing design (hey, I'm a web designer, that's the NICEST I can be about it, and that's being way too charitable!) could, or would, produce this stuff. I mean, how does that even work?

Ah, but then I read the page. And did some brief searching.

And now it makes more sense, and I don't think it looks quite as bad. Behold the actual producers of the products, Nemesis Now:

http://www.nemesisnow.com/nemesis-now-premium-ranges/sci-fi/

These guys are the ones actually producing the stuff. They've also got some other ranges, so they're not just a hole-in-the-wall operation, and feel a lot more respectable than a shop selling "online readings." DreamsAway doesn't even show the full assortment, which you can get a better view of by searching "GW" (albeit with an extra result tossed in... inexact search mechanic, but I won't hold that against them, it might be a design choice):

http://www.nemesisnow.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?p=3&q=GW

They have messenger bags as well!

Now, the thing is, Nemesis Now produces them and seems to sell to retailers, not direct to customers, at least not via the website. Unfortunately, I can't find anyone else current selling the GW products online. But it'll be something to watch for.

As for quality, it's hard to get a reading, but doing a quick search for "nemesis now" on Amazon (where various sellers list some of their other stuff) shows 20 review averages of 4+ stars, 24 of 3+, and 25 of 2+. Checking out the reviews, the ones most likely to have poor reviews are clocks, where it seems all of them have at least one 1-star review noting a defective and/or cheaply made product (seems they're produced in China, which doesn't necessarily mean bad quality, but does mean that despite being a "local" company, they apparently don't produce locally).

Hopefully some of that info was useful to some people and I didn't just spend 20 minutes or so chasing info for nothing. :-P

[Psychosplodge]

Nemesis now produce some beautiful stuff. They also produce some tat. But GW are obviously taking the attitude that people are producing and selling unofficial 40k merchandise so they know the market exists so they might as well licence a manufacturer and take a cut of the market.
TBH with how quick the T-shirts seem to sell at events I'm surprised it's taken this long.

[Mr Mystery]

Sad Old Git Mode Engage....

1. GET OFF MY LAWN, WHIPPERSNAPPERS

2. Time was, GW used to sell their t-shirts in-store. I....I don't recall many actually selling, but they were there. Up to and possibly beyond Gorkamorka.

[Psychosplodge]

Yeah I never saw any actually sell when they were in store, but try getting a 2xl or x half way through an event :D
I think part of thats probably you go to an event with a wad cash and an intention to spend, where as you don't have the same attitude in store, but a space marine clock? Think I might have one, maybe one for work as well :D

[Hendrik Booraem VI]

I totally want an Aquila Journal. Like, right now.

[Erik Setzer]

Sad Old Git Mode Engage....

1. GET OFF MY LAWN, WHIPPERSNAPPERS

2. Time was, GW used to sell their t-shirts in-store. I....I don't recall many actually selling, but they were there. Up to and possibly beyond Gorkamorka.

That helps highlight something weird about their licensed products: They don't sell any of them in their own stores. It's like they treat their own licensed games as competition, stuff like Conquest, Relic, Forbidden Stars, Warhammer Quest (the new card game), etc. Seems weird. You can offer a wider variety of products in your stores and at least make some money off folks, maybe get some money from a GW gamer who comes in and sees no figures he needs but a board game that looks interesting, and the games are also a good way to introduce people to the worlds at a more affordable price point.

I get it with the shirts, mugs, etc.... They'd take up a good bit of store space, and the modern stores tend to be pretty small. In order to have enough to offer a selection at all of their stores, they'd have to order a pretty good chunk of product up-front, which might be too much risk for a board that's averse to anything that doesn't look like guaranteed profit.

[Patrick Boyle]

And there's the ever-morphing MMO that I believe is now a shooter where you fight for worlds, but who knows when that'll actually release or what it'll be like. (And then there's the sad tale of the RPG we'll never get to play.)

There's not really anything 'ever-morphing' about Eternal Crusade, they've been very upfront about what it was going to be basically since it was announced. They didn't say it in these terms exactly, but they've basically been describing a blend of Planetside 2 and Relic's Space Marine. And you can even play it now; it was in closed Alpha for founder's pack purchasers for a few months and has since gone Early Access on Steam. As such it's still a bit rough around the edges and playable Orkz and Eldar aren't in yet, but they're coming.

[Erik Setzer]

There's not really anything 'ever-morphing' about Eternal Crusade, they've been very upfront about what it was going to be basically since it was announced. They didn't say it in these terms exactly, but they've basically been describing a blend of Planetside 2 and Relic's Space Marine. And you can even play it now; it was in closed Alpha for founder's pack purchasers for a few months and has since gone Early Access on Steam. As such it's still a bit rough around the edges and playable Orkz and Eldar aren't in yet, but they're coming.

I was actually referring not to the specific game, but to the concept of a 40K MMO. IIRC, the original was going to be a more standard MMORPG, which then looked like it'd become a single-player RPG, and even that seems to have disappeared. It eventually landed on the current concept of an MMO FPS with factions fighting for control of planets (I assume that's still in there). I have no problem with that kind of game, could be fun (might be a beast to balance and remain "fluffy," though). But it *is* a good bit different from the first reports of a 40K-related MMO years ago. And it has gone through some changes. To be fair, a lot of MMOs do (see SWTOR for a great example, where the game gutted multiple features just before launch).

I saw it's on Early Access, but given what that's like across the industry, I'll hold my money until I'm not paying to be a tester. Too many other games have made that a bad prospect, nothing against EC itself.