I was pointed towards a brilliant and thought-provoking article from Blood of Kittens discussing how some of the decisions the Games Workshop has made lately is changing the industry and could adversely affect them down the road…
As allusive as Games Workshop behaviour seems, they have over the ages created opportunities for fans and small business to exploit such is their magnanimity.
When GW got out the of the tournament game, fans and shops picked up the slack to create amazing events. An “underground” market for what GW leaves behind seems always inevitable.
When GW left gaps in their product lines third-party companies filled the void, creating models as stand ins. When GW decided to no longer offer bits direct, a bit cottage industry popped right up.
It goes to show just how profitable and large the GW universe is, when a small business can thrive on GW chaff. Inevitability, GW at some point takes notice of the mice underneath their house and tries to exterminate, that was the case with the third-parties dare tread on the loose IP GW foundation. More recently, GW has decided to go after independent retailers, by not allowing stores or online retailers to sell components separately, leading to the demise of the GW bits market almost overnight.
Read more here…
