Games Workshop Pulls IP From FFG

[Nefaro]

Not surprising, with how increasingly lucrative board games have become lately.

GW probably wants to reap their own board game lines again, and it seems they've already got an early start within the last couple years.

There are problems with GW producing board games, though.  They charge far more, and they produce fewer copies.  Hell, they do a limited production run and just drop the line indefinitely.  ::) 

GW catches a lot of flak from mini gamers, for good reason, and I doubt they've suddenly improved their ways.  Not as reliable as FFG anyway.  We'll see.

Beginning February 28th, 2017, Fantasy Flight Games will no longer offer for sale any games in conjunction with Games Workshop, including Talisman and all games taking place in the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 universes.

The full list of product lines leaving the Fantasy Flight Games catalog is:

• Black Crusade
• Blood Bowl: Team Manager
• Chaos in the Old World
• Chaos Marauders
• Dark Heresy
• Dark Heresy Second Edition
• Deathwatch
• Forbidden Stars
• Fury of Dracula
• Only War
• Relic
• Rogue Trader
• Space Hulk: Death Angel
• Talisman
• Warhammer: Diskwars
• Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay
• Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game
• Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game
• Warhammer 40,000: Conquest
• All Fantasy Flight Supply products showing imagery licensed to Games Workshop

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/9/9/a-new-path-forward/


Guess we better buy up any we've been wanting, before they hit the incinerator next year.

[Bison]

I've heard great things about Forbidden Stars, but I'm on a game buying hiatus now.   I'm not surprised that GW pulled the IP.  It's par for the course of questionable marketing strategies from them over the years.

[Nefaro]

I've heard great things about Forbidden Stars, but I'm on a game buying hiatus now.   I'm not surprised that GW pulled the IP.  It's par for the course of questionable marketing strategies from them over the years.

That's really the only one left, of the FFG-GW games, that I've been fence sitting on.   And I own stuff in 8 of the other lines listed. 

Expected GW to do something like this.  Just didn't know when. 

[Bison]

The rumor mill had been spinning for the past few months about the FFG and GW partnership ending.  Ironically I saw a couple of people playing the Warhammer LCG last night at the FLGS. 

[bayonetbrant]

Quite frankly, it might have much more to do with GW not wanting Asmodee controlling their IP, since Asmodee now owns FFG.  FFG has the rights for certain titles, in the North American market.  Meanwhile, Asmodee and GW are competing head-to-head elsewhere and it doesn't make since for them to be partially lashed together in the US.

[Bison]

I think the other factor is that FFG is developing a miniatures game (I'll have to look for the name and details) that will directly compete with GW's Warhammer. 

[Nefaro]

I think the other factor is that FFG is developing a miniatures game (I'll have to look for the name and details) that will directly compete with GW's Warhammer.

Their licensing agreement didn't allow FFG to produce regular minis for GW's IPs, nor some portraying specific ones.

That's why the minis were so shitty in FFG's 40K games & such, with many being tiny little groups of nondescript space marines or symbols (Chaos In The Old World).  Or just busts of the characters, as with Relic.


I saw that FFG recently signed some deal with Blizzard, so that has been speculated as a major culprit.   

Frankly, I think the World Of Warcraft IP is shit.  Especially compared to what it was originally trying to be: Warhammer Fantasy.  Not worth losing the Warhammer stuff.  But maybe they'll be able to do some titles with a Diablo theme, which could be interesting. 

But GW has recently put out a couple board games.  With the booming market for them, I'm pretty sure they just want to start reaping the full profits of those again.  Can't blame them, but their marketing methods are less customer friendly and their game design doesn't push any boundaries.  Plus, expect them to be used as vehicles to push their minis sales, which has been pretty common for GW over the years.



Edit:


There was some mention of FFG doing more games in their own Terrinoth setting (Runebound, Runewars, BattleLore).  Maybe that's what you're thinking of regarding a new game competing with GW's?

[Bison]

Yeah I'm pretty sure it uses FFG's Terrinoth IP and is supposed to be similar to the Warhammer miniatures game. 

I hadn't heard about the WoW deal.  It has big money potential just because of the massive WoW fan base.

[Bison]

Here's the link to the FFG news page for Runewars miniatures game.  https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/8/5/runewars-the-miniatures-game/

[Nefaro]

Here's the link to the FFG news page for Runewars miniatures game.  https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/8/5/runewars-the-miniatures-game/

Well.. I wouldn't be surprised if GW got in a tizzy about it.  I've had the impression they do so all the time.

[Bison]

I'm honestly afraid to see what FFG charges for the box and the inevitable expansions and mini-expansion packs.  I could see some of the disenfranchised GW Warhammer people jumping ship to FFG, if for nothing more than availiblity, price, and the ease of use for FFG minis compared to GW models.

[Nefaro]

I'm honestly afraid to see what FFG charges for the box and the inevitable expansions and mini-expansion packs.  I could see some of the disenfranchised GW Warhammer people jumping ship to FFG, if for nothing more than availiblity, price, and the ease of use for FFG minis compared to GW models.

AFAIK, the many unhappy GW mini-wargamers already jumped ship to a slew of other such games.  There are actually quite a few out there nowadays.  Most of which are more affordable, at least .. for the genre.

I'm a little surprised FFG is attempting it.  I guess they saw an opportunity when GW announced it was dropping Warhammer Fantasy Minis.  But I still wonder if there's really much market for it, with all the others already available. *shrug*

[Bison]

It's FFG.  They have a pretty rabid fan base of their own.  Personally.  I'm not going to buy into it.  I have too much to play as it is right now and my wallet cannot sustain the costs of another FFG product line.

[Nefaro]

It's FFG.  They have a pretty rabid fan base of their own.  Personally.  I'm not going to buy into it.  I have too much to play as it is right now and my wallet cannot sustain the costs of another FFG product line.

Oh, I'm not down with the tabletop mini-wargame marketing model.  The costs are insane, not to mention the time investment. 

As far as I've ventured, is picking up the Frostgrave book.  That game doesn't really require hordes of minis anyway.

[Cyrano]

Love Relic, but it's just Talisman in 40k.

Love Forbidden Stars.

Other than that, not much else here for me to miss.  Given that all the Talisman you could ever want and more is available on the PC, I have zero need for the boardgame version.  I saw a gentleman at my local FLGS who set up the whole magilla and it was by turns wondrous and absurd.

That said, I tend to agree with Brant that when Asmodee entered the picture there's no way GW wanted its precious IP in those hands.

Oh, and the hobby/trade/toy store roll-out and pricing of the "new" 40k demonstrates conclusively that GW will ride its torpedo to impact.  Pity really...