How do GW improve sales?

[Dark Shepherd]

12 hours ago, SvenIronhand said:

Another thing: don’t drop things like Crusade after an edition or so, as @ThePenitentOne can attest. Stuff like that majorly kills customer engagement and loyalty.

Crudade seemed to be very popular, did they just burn themselves with too many supplements?

[Grand Master Laertes]

Just wait december the first half-year financial report after the launch of a new 40k edition and we'll see if they actually need to further improve their sales, or if they have already improved compared to last year.

[sarabando]

take the black books, imperial armour etc strip the rules out and just sell them as fluff books

keep printing them and the art books etc not just scalper levels. 

 

drop prices by 15-25% 

 

drop prices of under selling armies by more people would be more inclined to start a xenos army if they were cheaper than a marine force. 

 

do bundles like warlord used to buy 3 kits get another 5% discount. 

 

They could :cuss: a significant amount of dead stock by simply dropping the prices on it and nothing else. 

[Jukkiz]

Stop flooding 40k with marines
Give Drukhari proper units again
Add other regiments to IG lineup
Sell something like dioramas, as forgeworld used to have.
Stop making 40k too clean and give chaos boys some sauce. Looking at you Slaanesh units.

HH Could use mk.5 and something ELSE then marines. No, it wasn´t just marines booting each other off the wall in HH, there was dozens more. 

[The Praetorian of Inwit]

There are plenty of things they could do. The biggest is reduce the prices to make the hobby accessible to a larger audience. 

 

They won't to do anything though. A shame but they don't really need to. They are doing very well. 

 

Share prices fluctuate because the stock market is as crooked as politicians. 

 

As for BL, if authors are unable or unwilling to finish projects then give them to someone who will. Or if those projects are not viable be upfront with people and cancel them . 

[Ahzek451]

A lot of you guys have already done a nice job on touching on the bug bears. But to chime in:

The GAME:
-Stop primarily catering to the competitive player. Create a ruleset that is relatively user friendly with a narrative focus that is polished as the MAIN. Then create a secondary book designed for competitive play.

-End the 3-year cycle with codex turn. Editions need to be natural evolutions, not change for the sake of change. At least 4-year edition with all codex books released in the first year. Polished, heavily tested and not cheapened. This almost requires a complete re-structuring in the studio with more effort/resources put into game design. Things need to be balanced and polished to the point that when the edition is released along with all army books in that first year.....that the FAQ turn is gone. Don't get me wrong, I still expect a FAQ/ERRATA, but across the life of an edition there should be roughly a couple of these.....not one every time we turn around that you get FAQ whiplash. Needs to be held to a greater standard. 

-Codex books that contain mostly lore, painting/modeling guides, bonus narrative material, etc. Perhaps rules tied to the subscription service. 

The LORE:
-What has been beaten to death in other areas and naturally largely subjective, but to keep this one short....a lot of the lore is very cheap and reeks of corporatized turn. A lot(not all) passion seems to have left with those that no longer work at GW, and a lot of the magic has bled out. This area needs to be held to a greater standard. 

 

Prices:
-Beaten to death...end FOMO, create a made to order system for most limited items. Lower prices, make some of the inconsistent prices make sense. Entry level prices for youngin's is non-existent. 

Community interaction:
-Not everything.....BUT, a lot of what GW does is either very half-arsed, cringe, insulting, etc. when interacting with the community. From their tone-deaf snarky replies, to Q&A sessions that seem like massive time wasters(with seemingly no real questions actually being from people outside of the corporate office). And constant....constant tech issues with their presentation shows. And no offense to Adam and Eddy. But watching these 2 as presenters puts me to sleep...charisma they do not have. 

Market research:
-This, I really can't speak to how they go about what they think will sell. But sometimes it seems like they miss their mark. I don't know who was asking for LI, when we had Horus Heresy at home. Maybe a revitalized EPIC would have been better? Is Battlefleet Gothic not something to re-visit? Did the steam games not do well?

[Griefbringer]

On 10/14/2026 at 10:00 PM, TheWarmaster said:

Have periodic ‘sales’ events.

 

Problem with this is that if people know that you are doing regular sales events, then they may just to decide to postpone some of their purchases to see if those items will be on sale in the next discount event (if they are patient enough). So you would be effectively making some of the customers postpone their purchases, instead of increasing their purchases.

 

As a customer, it can also be annoying to make an order from a manufacturer at a regular price, only to find a few weeks later that they are running a -20 % discount week on the same stuff. Happened to me once with a certain manufacturer. And that was not a trivial-size order.

 

There are also other ways of doing discounts, such as the various "combat force" bundle deal boxes that GW does. I like the concept, but there tends to be quite a limited selection of these, and some of them can be a bit unimaginative in their contents.

[kabaakaba]

balance and inner balance: they just make many units useless, there is a lot of nice kits which brought once in lifetime to fill collection. just because they crap rules wise. to make all units viable just stop focusing on competition aspect. I'm in hobby from 2000 and only once I was participated tournament back in 2010. and there is

Narrative. make it's great again. I mean more scenarios, campaign and bring us back crusade. I love to collect NARRATIVE books. I had bought full wall of Martyrs just to play campaign. no campaign no such purchase. 

Prices. I do understand we live in a terrible time but common. I don't know other company with 70% marine. it's just absurd. make kits a bit cheaper. 

[Lathe Biosas]

My issue with GW has been the same for the past few editions.

 

They release all these cool rules, new ways to model/build/and play... and then scrap it all less than 2 months later.

 

 

[Captain Idaho]

(Been mulling over this subject and the answers I had for it and decided after consideration to post...)

 

The problems GW has are myriad and often linked and exacerbated by each other.

 

Number 1 issue is it's a niche pastime/hobby that was fooled into thinking it's mainstream when it isn't. 

 

GW have used this incorrect assumption to drive many of their decisions. Their sanitised clear out of many concepts, the removal of "everyone is evil" for a more "Space Marines are the good guys". Their push for expensive premium prices.

 

Sure those things are individually terminal but added together and it's a way to forget your core customer base, thus driving them away whilst always going for the new customer.

 

How many times have we seen someone say triumphantly on this very forum "GW doesn't care about you, they want new customers and youngsters" and frankly I think they do and this is correct.

 

But this is poor economics. Those new customers get into the hobby because of existing customers. The core of an audience is retained customers, giving a bedrock to build upon.

 

Using an example, anecdotal but repeated everywhere I go and everyone I talk to in "real life"... my kids, my friends' kids, people I know casually... none of them are into the hobby and not for the want of trying. Why put time and money into warhammer when they could just buy a video game?

 

So in short, we've see a drop off of core customer base. People like me who don't like the business practices of replacing my collection every 3 years, replacing my Space Marines for new and bigger Space Marines as if I've unlimited time and resource and no sentimentality, the increased costs added to all of this...

 

Even little things like my Greco-Roman Ultramarines no longer being Greco-Roman, bar their names. I mean, yeah screw my ethnicity right?

 

And like all bubbles, it'll overextend and burst. Or the steady push to the top of the hill goes down the other side. Insert analogy here as required!

 

Games Workshop have pushed products into mainstream areas. Sports Direct for goodness sake! Usually specific items but it inflates sales but only as one off purchases and doesn't net many long term, bedrock customers.

 

Games Workshop needs to remember what it is. It's not mainstream, it'll never be mainstream. Start catering to HOBBYISTS instead of CUSTOMERS.

 

And to do that, put the new editions back to 5+ years. Protect and respect your customer investment. 

 

Part of the barrier here is likely needing constant growth all the time, but that's fallacy I've got a bee in my bonnet about. Stability can provide riches too, but then you need investors who want such things. That's the top down issue. Instead of short term growth, go for long term stability. The investors will change but good riddance. Those investors will destroy the company in a crash one day.

[SvenIronhand]

11 minutes ago, Captain Idaho said:

Even little things like my Greco-Roman Ultramarines no longer being Greco-Roman, bar their names. I mean, yeah screw my ethnicity right?

 

The actual Romans were quite diverse; not sure who told you otherwise.

Edited October 15 by SvenIronhand

[Xenith]

On 10/14/2026 at 8:00 PM, TheWarmaster said:

Lower prices. 
Have periodic ‘sales’ events. 
 

This is what their battle force boxes are. GW Will never ever have a regular sale, as people will just wait until the sale to spend. 

 

The battleforce boxes are effectively "buy three units, get a 4th for free"

[Scribe]

16 minutes ago, Captain Idaho said:

Games Workshop needs to remember what it is. It's not mainstream, it'll never be mainstream. Start catering to HOBBYISTS instead of CUSTOMERS.

 

And to do that, put the new editions back to 5+ years. Protect and respect your customer investment. 

 

I dont think the 3 year cycle is a terminal flaw. Its just they have gone so far off the rails with the rules, the constant 'patching' and the cost/time investment, that it doesnt make any sense to invest into.

 

They need an Evergreen Edition, say like 3rd to 5th, even 6th.

They need to get back to actually investing in the lore. HH, BL, Black Books.

They need to have lower points (they need points lol) games as an on ramp with streamlined rules. Again, 3rd to 5th.

They need, if they are going to push any kind of competitive play, keep Army Size to a manageable place.

 

I, and many of the guys in my play group, collected multiple armies AND a HH army in the actual peak of the hobby, if the GAME matters, that is what GW would get back to.

 

However, its not. They are a model company, that would LOVE to transition to an IP company. Its not an actual game company, if it was, they would have gone under with AoS, and the last few HH and 40K editions.

[Xenith]

Agree though, GW is doomed. There's a similar overpriced boutique luxury item company that regularly invalidates old product Their stock price dropped 25% in 2022/23 and they went bankrupt and stopped selling product -  just look at the massive drop on the right - look familiar?

 

 

The company is Apple, and their stock also dropped 25% in 2008, 30% in 2012/13, before the 25% drop in the 2020s. As we know, they're not bankrupt, and they haven't changed prices, and have got even more expensive for what it arguably not even the best product on the market.

[Scribe]

12 minutes ago, Xenith said:

Agree though, GW is doomed. There's a similar overpriced boutique luxury item company that regularly invalidates old product Their stock price dropped 25% in 2022/23 and they went bankrupt and stopped selling product -  just look at the massive drop on the right - look familiar?

 

 

The company is Apple, and their stock also dropped 25% in 2008, 30% in 2012/13, before the 25% drop in the 2020s. As we know, they're not bankrupt, and they haven't changed prices, and have got even more expensive for what it arguably not even the best product on the market.

 

Yeah the tech company with a Cult like following who rode the wave of the smart phone and apps.

 

Very comparable to the company seeking to sell everyone plastic toys for a game of dubious quality that takes hours to assemble, and play, while setting you back thousands.

 

Very much the same as selling everyone a phone.

[Captain Idaho]

54 minutes ago, SvenIronhand said:

The actual Romans were quite diverse; not sure who told you otherwise.

 

You are misunderstanding my point. I'm saying my representation has been diminished/eliminated over time.

[Captain Idaho]

45 minutes ago, Scribe said:

I dont think the 3 year cycle is a terminal flaw. Its just they have gone so far off the rails with the rules, the constant 'patching' and the cost/time investment, that it doesnt make any sense to invest into.

 

Possibly not terminal if that was the only issue. But alongside sanitised product, increased costs, user unfriendly rules, removal of product validation... it all adds up.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

47 minutes ago, Captain Idaho said:

 

You are misunderstanding my point. I'm saying my representation has been diminished/eliminated over time.

Yet is still the primary representation in the setting…

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Someone mentioned Guymer.  Please do not let him near my chapter again.

[Corswain]

GW have already identified Asia as their growth opportunity. Easiest way to sell more is to offer to more people.

[darkhorse0607]

3 hours ago, Scribe said:

 

Yeah the tech company with a Cult like following who rode the wave of the smart phone and apps.

 

Very comparable to the company seeking to sell everyone plastic toys for a game of dubious quality that takes hours to assemble, and play, while setting you back thousands.

 

Very much the same as selling everyone a phone.

 

I feel like Disney is the better comparison. 

 

Hooked a bunch of fans early on through lore, games, minis (old Disney stuff)

 

Continued to up prices to even access the product (parks, Disney+, etc) while saying "well you CAN just have the OLD stuff if you want, I guess" But we are really moving on from that for the most part to new releases 

 

Over time the prices have increased while the IPs have suffered, they're being held up by the old fans who are too sunk cost fallacied in (or folks who are just happy to be there. No judgement, its nice to have an escape), as well as trying to get new people by any means necessary, even if it means diluting the new product for mass appeal. 

 

Profit. Maybe? Probably?

[Scribe]

12 minutes ago, darkhorse0607 said:

 

I feel like Disney is the better comparison. 

 

Hooked a bunch of fans early on through lore, games, minis (old Disney stuff)

 

Continued to up prices to even access the product (parks, Disney+, etc) while saying "well you CAN just have the OLD stuff if you want, I guess" But we are really moving on from that for the most part to new releases 

 

Over time the prices have increased while the IPs have suffered, they're being held up by the old fans who are too sunk cost fallacied in (or folks who are just happy to be there. No judgement, its nice to have an escape), as well as trying to get new people by any means necessary, even if it means diluting the new product for mass appeal. 

 

Profit. Maybe? Probably?

 

Yeah, a company living on its IP vs continuing to improve the product? Living on nostalgia and grown adults dumping excessive money in an effort to chase the happiness of their youth...

 

Yeah I can see that.

 

Do we want GW to go that direction? lol

[Marshal Rohr]

Comparing Apple to GW is interesting because one of the fundamental things that makes Apple so strong is actually Foxconn, and the institutional knowledge their engineers bring that no longer exists in the US. GW doesn’t seem like it, but their engineers are actually some of their highest paid employees (way above the povo wages normies get in the UK) and come from companies that would never be spoken about in the same breath as GW. Defense and auto, that kind of thing. 

[MoriyaSchism]

A consistent legacy format, a price reduction, discounts on bulk purchases and occasional seasonal sales like most companies. No, having a Christmas battleforce that's not accessible to every single faction is not a seasonal sale, it's FOMO nonsense designed to fleece Space Marine players mostly. Games Workshop pretending they are Nintendo is ridiculous, not even Nintendo these days is deserving of never putting their games on sale either. 

Oh yeah, the elimination of the treadmill business model where you're on the hook for one-and-done non-customizable monopose kits unto eternity. I've come to this realization after looking at some of the more recently released Space Marine kits. The Veteran kits actually don't have a variety of pauldrons with different Space Marine ranks and awards or other parts that would inspire repeat purchases for bits and alternate build. Pauldrons are just one example of parts shortage. They got what they wanted, they designed Imperial Aspect Warriors and they are going to get Aspect Warrior sales once most people figure out you can't do much with these. Once you build an Eldar Army do you really need more than two squads of each Aspect Shrine ever again?  


This doesn't inspire repeat purchases or alternate builds. 

Edited October 16 by MoriyaSchism

[SvenIronhand]

3 hours ago, darkhorse0607 said:

I feel like Disney is the better comparison. 

 

Personally, I feel Hasbro is the best comparison. Strong IP, struggles to make it relevant to da yoofs.