If you’ve been living under a rock for the last few days then you should know that we have pics of new Necron models! This leak comes courtesy of the website Beasts of War. This UK/Irish site is pretty fancy looking with videos and what not, but if you look closely it is just a giant commercial for Wayland games. Any who, they got a hold of the next White Dwarf and with the magic of Photoshop cropped the models, removed any incriminating evidence, and then plastered their logo and URL all over.
Having been on the receiving end of GW legal department and having seen preview pictures well before releases I can tell you that above all else GW is least tolerant of product picture leaks. So I can only assume once GW legal team wakes up they will at the very least send some stern emails– unless this is all sanctioned by GW. What made these Necron leaks so particularly interesting and dramarific is what happened next. With in about 12 hours of the leaked images Wayland Games promptly posted prices and started taking pre-orders on the new Necron. It was almost as if Beasts of War knew exactly what it could get away this in turn gave Wayland the cover it needed to post the other half of the equation to their preorder page. Since no other online retailer had access to the pricing Wayland Games easily got a jump on all its competitors.
With GW’s current new release policy this allows retailers with access to leaked info a real advantage. Having talked to other online retailers across the globe many weren’t happy by these developments. If Beasts of War is a front for Wayland Games as many suspect then this one-two combo should continue until GW changes course. Regardless of the inter-retailer drama this all goes back to the Games Workshop policy. It only took six months since being enacted to become a failure. Having also talked to my local GW’s store manager and regional manager over the weekend, both were very upset about the leaks because not only did they think it would hurt sales it also made them look like idiots. I also talked to a few loca indy shops (already pissed) now feeling completely left out of the loop.
The buck starts and stops with GW corporate because if they cannot keep a secret then this policy is pointless. As a consumer I love the leaks and enjoy seeing the models early, but as business model it is becoming increasingly unsustainable. For the retailers I talked to they will do their part and let GW know something needs to change if they continue stuck in the dark. Just think of the headache retailers will have to face if the policy isn’t changed by the time 6th ed comes around.
Did I mention that it is coming next summer… 😛
If you want a similar take on the Necron leak go over to Spikey Bits and read there great article on the subject.
http://blog.spikeybits.com/2011/10/rumors-new-necrons-why-this-is-bad-pics.html