To back up a second… Games Workshop has recently been working on consolidating their product line down to their core, while expanding their line of retail shops. This means they were focusing their efforts on selling Warhammer Fantasy Battles, Warhammer 40k, and Lord of the Rings. However, they did set up an imprint to handle a lot of these titles, along with some new ones. Chief among these side projects was the classic fantasy boardgame Talisman and the long-awaited 40k RPG Dark Heresy.
Then they decided, despite a lot of success with those products, to drop them in favor of focusing on the apparently more profitable Warhammer/40k book industry.
Well, turns out there was more to the story. Fantasy Flight Games, quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the adventure game industry, has licensed all of GW’s board game, card game, and rpg properties (though notes that anything primarily miniatures, like Blood Bowl and Space Hulk, are not included. Sadness for that.)
Specifically mentioned in the press release above:
- FFG will be continuing support for Talisman, including expansions.
- They are also taking over the “Universal Fighting System” CCG from Sabertooth Games. According to a separate statement, Sabertooth is shutting down after the transfer happens.
- Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, last published by Green Ronin but listed as having its license canceled, will be published by FFG. It doesn’t say if there will be a new edition, or if they’ll just pick up publication and supplements.
- Dark Heresy, the new 40k RPG (which has gotten decidedly mixed reviews), will be published by FFG. So to those of you who thought you had valuable collectors’ items… it doesn’t look like the game is going away just yet.
I wouldn’t be surprised if FFG decides to mine GW’s rich back catalog (as they’ve done before) for some new board game releases alongside all of this.
FFG clearly has talent for getting licenses, and taking on all of these already successful game lines makes them an even bigger player in the industry. This is a great move by GW too: far better than the previous policies of just sitting on these games.
The question is… will it make sense in a few years for the two companies to completely join together?
I bet a nickel that RPG Pundit jumps on the news and starts raving that it’s time to wrench Dark Heresy from the clutches of the Forgies and make it ‘a real game’
(This is a satire, not my personal opinion)
🙂
I don’t read RPG Pundit… but from what I’ve seen, Dark Heresy is pretty un-Forge-like!
(Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
I purchased and read the Dark Heresy book – the RPG is awful. It’s basically 2nd edition AD&D.
Woot I was right, I was right…
I won’t link to his site but he rants about this!
Hey let’s play the 40k RPG!
We get to be a group of normal humans in a world of epic futuristic combat! Woo!
“Cannon Fodder: the Splatting”
I would like to see a Reissue of Advanced HeroQuest. I think that was an old GW game. fun stuff.
Advanced Heroquest would be great to see, though it’d be hard to pick between that and Warhammer Quest.
Unfortunately, “primarily miniatures” games are specifically not covered by the agreement, and they probably qualify.
I saw that too, so it probably means those games are out. =(