Warhammer Sales Surge for Games Workshop
The fantasy role-playing game Warhammer saw sales rise in the six months to November with people spending more on hobbies during the lockdown. Sales of Games Workshop’s tabletop miniature games hit a record £186.8 million in the period, up 26%.
Despite having most of its 529 shops restricted or closed, Warhammer continued to have strong results. Created in 1983, Warhammer uses plastic miniatures to simulate battles between armies.
During the period of May to November 2023, sales of Warhammer and other miniature wargames online grew by 90% while profits increased by a third. Warhammer’s online community website now has 4.7 million registered users, an increase of 200,000 over the same period in 2022.
According to Kevin Rountree, the business has grown rapidly over the past five years. However, it has not claimed any government subsidies or financial support during the pandemic. ‘ ‘Our business continued to build on the great progress and profitable growth we have been consistently delivering over the last five years.
“I’d like to thank our enthusiastic and loyal fan base who share our love for the Warhammer hobby and the fantastical settings, characters, and narratives that make up our intellectual property,” Rountree added
In 1983, Games Workshop published Warhammer Fantasy Battle, a tabletop miniature wargame with a medieval fantasy theme. It was designed by Bryan Ansell, Richard Halliwell, and Rick Priestley. The game has since evolved into a fantasy universe with card and video games. Last year the studio signed a contract with Amazon to develop movie series based on its lore.
