Games Workshop closes HQs worldwide, discontinues whole armies & more...

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

Hey guys!

When we were the first to release background information on the dramatic loss of 25% of Games Workshop's stock value yesterday, we honestly did not expect this incredible amount of response.
The news spread like a wildfire and over 20000 of you visited our blog to read up on all of the details.

Many of you left comments and messages in response to this article - we have been very busy trying to answer all of them as quickly as possible

Instead of just linking to the [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2014/01/the-future-of-games-workshop-part9.html]latest developments[/url] again, I want to talk a little more about what our series is all about:

At the same time of the release of their half-year numbers, Games Workshop upped the ante and pretty much put a roundhouse-kick to its own operation.
I heard some of these rumors three days ago, but wanted to wait for some insider information to confirm what we heard.

And today, it seems that 'the plot thickens' as one would say.

You might already have heard that Games Workshop will close down most of their International HQs. Confirmed are: US, Italy, France, Spain. In contrast to what most people write, HQ Germany seems to remain intact.
You also heard that whole lines of armies will be discontinued. 30% of product will only be available online in the future, FW and GW will combine operations and the whole shebang...

If you would like to know more detailed background information on this - and how we have been forseeing AND writing about this development already months ago, I would like to invite you to read our epic collection of walls of text about "The Future of Games Days and Games Workshop".

In today's part 9 you will read all about today's new rumors and some of the relevant background information and analysis. If anything it's a long, but enjoyable read.

For your convenience, here are all of the other parts in this series:

[url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/08/the-future-of-games-days-games-workshop.html]Part 1[/url] - [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/08/the-future-of-games-workshop-games-days.html]Part 2[/url] - [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/08/the-future-of-games-days-games-workshop_21.html]Part 3[/url] - [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/08/the-future-of-games-days-games-workshop_27.html]Part 4[/url] - [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/08/the-future-of-games-days-and-games.html]Part 5[/url] - [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/09/Future-of-GD-and-GW-Part-6.html]Part 6[/url] - [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/10/future-of-games-days-7.html]Part 7[/url] - [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2013/11/TFoGDaGW-7.5.html]Part 7.5[/url] - [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2014/01/the-future-of-games-days-games.html]Part 8[/url]

Part 10 coming soon™

We would like to (possibly) wrap up the series in installment 10 and we would like to ask you for your comments in the comment section of [url=http://masterminis.blogspot.de/2014/01/the-future-of-games-workshop-part9.html]today's blog entry[/url] if you would like to participate in this discussion

Thanks again for the massive response to this series!

As always: SHARE & ENJOY!

Zaphod

[Mr Mystery]

I'd love to respond appropriately, but sadly posting up a picture of a pair of big dangly bollocks is against forum rules.

[Psychosplodge]

Well closing national HQs would be the next logical step as they've slashed man power in-store, and all large companies seem to have excessive management...
*shrugs* the rest? who knows?

[Deadlift]

Another excellent blog post, I have waded though all 9 now and enjoyed them all, Not really an eye-opener but definatly more in depth info than the usual posts were used to reading about GW and its future. Only time will tell what will actually happen, I don't think GW days are numbered but much like you say, times are changing for them and with other games becoming more popular they have to reevaluate how they can continue to be the market leaders.

[Wildeybeast]

I'd love to respond appropriately, but sadly posting up a picture of a pair of big dangly bollocks is against forum rules.

Really? That's a very specific rule for them to have.

Though I agree about the discontinuation of armies. If sob have survived this long, there is no way they are getting rid of fully functioning ones. That really would kill Warhammer.

[Cap'nSmurfs]

"It is run by bankers and accountants and not by nerds, visionaries and dreamers who understand the value of community and also happen to know how to run a global business."

Hahahahaha what the hell. Some of the biggest and ****tiest companies in the world are run by and for awful, awful nerds. Like the biggest, worst nerds in the world. You might've heard of Facebook, Google, and the rest of the techno-utopian scum****ers.

[Arkhan Land]

"Throwing yourself into cover or fleeing to the nearest table corner has never won anything in the history of table-toppers. Neither has sacrificing your own troops turned out to be the best possible course of action in almost all scenarios."

[Wolfshade]

Really? That's a very specific rule for them to have.

It was about time that I had to remove "Lord of the Bananahammocks" from my sig.

But closing regional HQs makes sense, afterall with GW launching the same business model universally, what do these regional units do other than add an extra cost and expense?

One of the companies I work along side is looking at halving it's management structure by merging 7 regions into 3.

Making 30% of the range availble through GW direct, well that is just controlling stock, it makes sense also. We have had GW only releases for a very long time. Chances are these will be ICs and not units.

[wittdooley]

Couldn't agree more with Wolfshade. There is literally no functional reason for them to have regional HQs. None. Zero.