It's an interesting thought.
Now, a lot of miniature companies on Kickstarter could be accused of simply showing us what they have in the pipeline for the next year or two, then getting us to throw money at them so their business can secure the income they need to make it all happen without risk of profit loss.
So why shouldn't GW do the same?
Imagine if the did a Kickstarter for your army? You might be a Tau, Eldar, or Ork player clinging on to your Codex, just waiting and praying for an update to make your army competitive again. Or you may just be desperate for some new models.
Yes, GW launch their Xenos Kickstarter and all you need to do is pledge!
They reveal illustrations for every single unit for all of the Xenos armies. All we need to do is pledge to unlock them.
Flyers - fighters and bombers for everyone.
New units for everyone.
New sculpts for all the outdated models.
New characters.
New themed terrain.
By the Emperor...it'd be beautiful!
What Would the Rewards Be?
Well, there wouldn't be any, because GW don't give away freebies.
Are you really surprised? Of course not.
Okay, you might get a special badge if you're lucky.
But the rewards for us would be that we get to see EVERYTHING in advance and throw down the money we want to build our armies.
The rewards for GW would be secure investment in their new products and the fact that they could wave their big dick around as they dominate the miniatures market.
I mean, if Kingdom Death raised over $2,000,000, just think what GW could raise when they're the market leader?
How does that work in GW's currently business model of gradual releases to appease their investors and maintain a stable income stream?
I guess it wouldn't, because there would be a massive cash injection followed by a lull in sales - provided their business model has reached its 'ceiling' in terms of a customer base.
But that's something only GW can know based on their sales and marketing date.
In the meantime, more and more small miniatures companies are making themselves known through Kickstarter campaigns.
I'm currently watching Relics by Tor Gaming with a keen eye. And with games like Kingdom Death and Rivet Wars really taking off, I can't help but feel that this is a trick Games Workshop are really missing out on...and as a result, I feel it's something that we as wargamers are missing out on.
So, do you want Games Workshop to run a Kickstarter Campaign?