Ex-SWG Designer on the Woes of Games Workshop

I’ll admit to being a bit of a newbie when it comes to Games Workshop and the table top roots of Warhammer, but I’m learning (and there’s so much to learn)! I found an interesting article about how to save Games Workshop from their self-centered marketing practices, short-sighted strategic vision, and declining share prices by ex-Star Wars: Galaxies designer, Brandon Reinhart (currently lead designer at Spacetime Studios).

The post discusses product and IP (intellectual property) diversification but doesn’t go into details about Warhammer Online, so I asked Brandon for his opinions in the comment section.

Snafzg: How much do you think Games Workshop stands to make if Warhammer Online does well?

Brandon: They probably have a royalty agreement and will take a portion of the monthly revenue. If the game comes out then we should be able to see its effects on GW in their quarterly earnings reports. That’ll be interesting as it could reveal a lot about the structure of their deal with EA.

Snafzg: I think EA is really counting on tapping into the GW TT gamers of Warhammer.

Brandon: I think so too. And GW is probably counting on getting some of those MMO players on board as miniatures collectors.

Snafzg: Do you have any opinions or thoughts as to the level of acceptance of WAR the current TT players have?

Brandon: I think everyone is looking forward to it, but that could collapse quickly if the game isn’t high quality on release.

Snafzg: How about just in your circles?

Brandon: My circle is a bit different because we’re ‘MMO insiders’ and I hear a lot of rumors…I think the game will have a somewhat rough launch, but should have a LOT of players on day one. I think the game had some game design troubles…issues with the public quest system, etc, but that Mythic has stopped their beta in order to address those problems. So we’ll see. I don’t think the game has any chance of upsetting World of Warcraft, but I think that it should be able to gain a respectable number of subscribers…by the pre-WoW standard of respectable (less than 1 mil, more than 300k).

Snafzg: You’ve stated you’re indifferent [about WAR's release]… do you think that’s the general feeling?

Brandon: Among MMO gamers I think there is anticipation. I’m indifferent because I’ve heard enough bad stuff and enough good stuff to be in “wait and see” mode.

Snafzg: My friend was at Games Day in Toronto last May and said [less than] 10% of the people in attendance had any interest in the new WAR MMORPG and that he didn’t think it was a great sign for EA.

Brandon: True… I wonder if they are having problems with product awareness. How many WoW players, for example, even know about the Warhammer MMO?

Hop on over to Madness & Games and read about “Saving Games Workshop!“

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