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It occurred to me that 40K will soon be in a place I don't believe it has been in a long time. With only Dark Eldar, Necrons and Blood Angels remaining to be updated to 6/7th Edition rules one could look at the game and say it's done. All army codexies will now be current to the current rule book. As an aside, I also believe that the long rumored release of models and codex for Sisters of Battle will be the final release for this edition of 40K.

So with 40K as a currently updated and complete game what will be next? With no new codexies needed and the rules set for at least the next two years what will GW do? They are after all a company that needs to generate sales of their products, and for a company that has been around as long as they have it is easier to generate new sales by creating new product for existing customers to buy, as opposed to generating new customers to buy existing products.

So what does GW have up their sleeves for us? New model ranges, new armies, maybe a whole optional way to play the game that suddenly makes Unbound Armies attractive to most players? Or do they again hit the reset button and start all over? I'd like to hear you thoughts and ideas as to were you believe GW plans on taking 40K. I know this is the internet and everybody loves hyperbole, hate and GW bashing in general but if possible I'd like this conversation to about were the game might be going as opposed to another GW hate fest.

Suplements and Dataslates. You can introduce new models with dataslates providing the appropriate rules.

Besides that, I'm sure they will come up with new "stuff everyone has to have", the likes of Lords of War, using power creep to sell models.

A completely new game would be a good move IMO.

A new faction for 40K is more likely, though.

I don't know how large the take-up would be if it isn't a very new and interesting design. I mean there are already blue, green, red, grey, black, silver and chaos Space Marines so I can't see that yellow or purple Space Marines would have anything new to attract players.

What about BROWN space marines though?

Some might say that Nurgle Marines are brown.

We were talking about this at the weekend. There's an internal reason for this quick release scale. It's clear they want everything to be done and on a level to make way for...whatever their new strategy is.

What next? A new race wouldn't be a surprise; especially considering the discussed freedom the (model) design team has been given. And it's been a while.

It could also mean that 8th edition would have greater rule changes once it drops. Either that or we're in for a bi-annual updated rule book.

In the interim, plenty of releases with supplements (dataslates and formations). Maybe an annual ebook that collates them all. They don't want to spend four years on a single army. They're really pushing the concept that models are first (rules second). New model kits (or repackaged) dropping in weekly schedules wouldn't be far-fetched.

If Sisters happen it'll be a plastic box, maybe a supplement and/or dataslate (that psychic character, for example). It won't be a major release.

Edit: Or, they'll do a versus boxset for every race as a way of adding new miniatures. This also encourages unbound if you end up with legal 500 point lots of different armies. So maybe we'll only get plastic sisters once the SOB vs Eldar campaign box happens.

Actually bothering to hear their gaming community and balancing the game would be a good move.

They've shot themselves in the foot releasing Imperial Knights, AM, MT, Orks, SWs, and GKs codicies so close together. 6 in about 4 months. If they had taken their time they could have made IKs and MTs into actual armies (because lets face it - they aren't atm) and padded put GKs somewhat. AM and Orks they did a decent job on (imo) and I don't know about SWs because I don't own the dex, haven't seen it, and don't want to get into trouble by going on any post-release thread and asking a question which has a 50% chance of being answered and a 50% chance of being told to 'go buy the dex yourself you intellectual property thief, this is only for people who can afford to buy more than one dex a month', or something along those lines.

It's something I've brought up a few times in the "roll marine codices in to one" thread.

We are approaching an interesting situation, with their current release rate when they get done with the existing codices we'll have all releases no more than about 2.5 years old. I assume they're going to go in to supplements more.

I would have liked them to focus on creating new games, but if they were going to do that I'd guess they would have done it before they exhausted 40k, not after, otherwise it'd be a huge gamble.

 Tyran wrote:
Actually bothering to hear their gaming community and balancing the game would be a good move.

This would definitely be the best move! Not going to happen mind, since they litrally said so themselves (wellthe CEO did anyhow)

Poly Ranger wrote:
They've shot themselves in the foot releasing Imperial Knights, AM, MT, Orks, SWs, and GKs codicies so close together. 6 in about 4 months.

It's clear, planned move. Perhaps they had all these stacked up and ready to go for a while. Perhaps they only made smaller changes for 7th as they were also updating a list of codexes at the same time (easier to play test armies if you're doing several new ones together). I'm glad they did it - want to see what's next once they're finished with this update cycle.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
It's something
I would have liked them to focus on creating new games, but if they were going to do that I'd guess they would have done it before they exhausted 40k, not after, otherwise it'd be a huge gamble.

They answered that at the Open Day - no new games. No 41k either. No specialist games.

The sensible thing to me would be releasing more codex supplements. There were rumours of stuff like White Scars, Speed Freaks, specific Chaos Legions and such that didn't originally pan out, but which to me made a lot of sense. Some of the ones that did come out were pretty... odd choices (Black Legion and Ghazghkull) in that you'd expect those armies to be very close to what was already in the Codex. Releasing supplements that introduced more deviating lists makes more sense to me. It would also be a roundabout way to address balance issues and breathe new life (and new sales) into older releases.

And of course they could just finally get around to Sisters of Battle.

tgjensen wrote:
The sensible thing to me would be releasing more codex supplements. There were rumours of stuff like White Scars, Speed Freaks, specific Chaos Legions and such that didn't originally pan out..

Someone asked about the Chaos Legions at the Open Day. My memory of that specific question is a little hazy. They said they picked the two (?) current ones as they were different enough to work. They would like to go and do others as well. I think there's certainly a possibility of it.

The new army question was a resounding 'yes'. This could be a supplement that allies with plenty of other armies. Like Assassins, but maybe Space Lamas or some walking amphibian with str 5 guns knocking about willy-nilly.

Poly Ranger wrote:

 Tyran wrote:
Actually bothering to hear their gaming community and balancing the game would be a good move.

This would definitely be the best move! Not going to happen mind, since they litrally said so themselves (wellthe CEO did anyhow)

Wasn't it the same CEO that resigned a month ago?

From my understanding, the "heavy" supplements will be what's next. the things not quite enough to be a codex, but too much to be done properly as a regular supplement within the rushed releases we currently have and the limited changes supplements bring.

Things like god-legions, who are vastly different from your regular CSM line, yet share way too much to be a codex. (for example, 1ksons will pretty much keep all mechanical and demonic units as-is, but will remove noise,plague and beserkers, ptobably cultists and basic marines too, and will require more focus on sorcerers and things like rubric termies, etc...)

In my opinion it falls into the following order in terms of likeliness:

1. Supplements and Dataslates with new model releases
2. Campaigns and Boxsets like Sanctus Reach/Stormclaw.
3. A new Army
4. A new game

I think the top two are pretty much guaranteed. The Stormclaw boxset was a sellout (Yes it was limited release but it was easy money for little work from a GW perspective) and the dataslates/supplements are an easy and quick way to get new models into the game.

Out of all of it though, a new army gets me the most excited so knowing my luck it won’t happen!

ShaneTB wrote:
We were talking about this at the weekend. There's an internal reason for this quick release scale. It's clear they want everything to be done and on a level to make way for...whatever their new strategy is.

I agree 100%. We don't know their reason for the drive to get everything up to date, but there is a reason and a plan.

If Sisters happen it'll be a plastic box, maybe a supplement and/or dataslate (that psychic character, for example). It won't be a major release.

Edit: Or, they'll do a versus boxset for every race as a way of adding new miniatures. This also encourages unbound if you end up with legal 500 point lots of different armies. So maybe we'll only get plastic sisters once the SOB vs Eldar campaign box happens.

I agree about the SoB. I think the release will be two plastic kits, one that let you make Seraphim, Celestians and basic Battle Sisters. The second will be a Command box. They will most likely loose Repentia and if the Penitent Engine stays it will not get a hew model. I think most of the non Sister characters and models (like priests and Uriah Jacobus) disappearing. They will also get either a specific new vehicle with enough options that it lets you up-grade other vehicles such as Rhinos, Razorbacks, Chimeras and Landraiders to Sister themed vehicles, or just a vehicle up-grade sprue that does the same to current vehicles.

In my opinion Games Workshop now sees the entire IoM as one big army. The game has been redesigned so that if your Imperiam army has a weakness (say Grey Knights, long range anti-armour) you fix this by allying in units from other IoM armies. The new Sisters release (if there is one) will have more content than say the Militarum Tempestus, but less than the current Sisters army.

I think they will be releasing the 9th edition of WHFB and focusing on Fantasy a little bit more. They have some rumors and a teaser video for a new release there.

So if everything is caught up on 40k side, they will begin the fantasy transition. Also, fantasy has ALOT of old metal models that they could begin catching up on. But, so do SoB.

Poly Ranger wrote:
They've shot themselves in the foot releasing Imperial Knights, AM, MT, Orks, SWs, and GKs codicies so close together. 6 in about 4 months. If they had taken their time they could have made IKs and MTs into actual armies (because lets face it - they aren't atm) and padded put GKs somewhat.

You're right, and you're wrong. IK and MT are most certainly not complete armies, yet GW released them so you could play them as such if you wanted to. I think the real intent is to divide the IoM up into as many pieces as possible and let the player pick what pieces he wants to use. What Games Workshop has done makes sense if looked at in this fashion. Codex Space Marines, Space Wolves, Dark Angels, Blood Angels, Grey Knights, Imperial Guard, Sisters, Storm Troopers, Imperial Knights, Inquisition and Assassins are all one army, the Imperiam of Man. What you then do is pick what pieces of this army you want to build into your army.

In Faeit I've read GW will focus more in Fantasy next year - so they want to launch everything major for 40k before that.

I'd like to see them getting the feedback of 6th and 7th, change a lot of stuff and launch 8th in 3-4 years - alongside codexes each 2 months. This edition should be much more stable and endure more than 5 years...

...then I woke up and remembered how GW works.
:(

What about Native American Space Marines? Oh, wait, no, they have brown skin. (Salamander's black skin doesn't count, because its a genetic mutation and not actually a minority.)

How about space skaven? That's imaginative.

I know. Death Beasts from planet Mortis-080. They have death talons and their Death Tyrants herd them into battle

 Icculus wrote:
I think they will be releasing the 9th edition of WHFB and focusing on Fantasy a little bit more. They have some rumors and a teaser video for a new release there.

So if everything is caught up on 40k side, they will begin the fantasy transition. Also, fantasy has ALOT of old metal models that they could begin catching up on. But, so do SoB.

WHFB is due for a new version, but I'm not sure they're going to focus on it as hard as they've focused on 40k as it doesn't seem to make them as much money and given they've already had 1 down annual report I bet they're worried about having another one that's even further down.

Another thing to consider. When White Dwarf was turned into a weekly magazine a lot of people complained that they did not have the content to publish weekly. But it is this weekly publishing schedule that has allowed them to so rapidly update 40K. They can now release in one month what would have taken three to four months last year.

Hopefully they do Adeptus Mechanicus.

The Traitor Legions and Guard regiments should keep them busy for the next few years. Maybe a few more marine 'dexes and some combined boxes/army sets.

There's plenty of scope for expansion even without new races.

Hunam0001 wrote:
Hopefully they do Adeptus Mechanicus.

That would certainly be easy to do, a new Codex, a few new models and new rules for the current Forgeworld models. This would result in a lot of new sales.

To the OP: that's actually a fair question. When they're all caught up, then what?

Black Templar supplement.

Death Guard supplement.

Bad Moons supplement.

Then, I dunno.

ShaneTB wrote:

Poly Ranger wrote:
They've shot themselves in the foot releasing Imperial Knights, AM, MT, Orks, SWs, and GKs codicies so close together. 6 in about 4 months.

It's clear, planned move. Perhaps they had all these stacked up and ready to go for a while. Perhaps they only made smaller changes for 7th as they were also updating a list of codexes at the same time (easier to play test armies if you're doing several new ones together). I'm glad they did it - want to see what's next once they're finished with this update cycle.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
It's something
I would have liked them to focus on creating new games, but if they were going to do that I'd guess they would have done it before they exhausted 40k, not after, otherwise it'd be a huge gamble.

They answered that at the Open Day - no new games. No 41k either. No specialist games.

Totally agree it was planned. I also agree that it is a good thing for the player base. We already know they do little if any playtesting, through quotes of their own employees and rules writers.

Think about it business wise though. I for one bought the IK WD and AM dex when they were released. I wanted a knight for a while after that and also wanted a small allied guard force with Pask. But before I had time to save up for either (eg: next pay packet), which I couldn't do with my current pay packet as I'd bought the dex (and some VWBs), they released the ork dex, which I then bought, and forgot all about guard. But before I could save and get any orks, they then released 7th ed, so I went and bought Dark Vengence for the rule set and models (whilst my GF got me a knight for my Bday). Now having got the 7th ed ruleset, there is now one month where I can't buy anything as I am moving house. So no GK dex, no SW dex, but this also now pushes orks further from my mind. Soon there will be a BA update (my main army), and a necron update (my 2nd army) and probably after that a CSM update (my 3rd army). At which point I will have lost any interest in AM or Orks and definitely have no interest in GK or SW.

Whereas if they had left it 2 1/2 months or so between releases (alternate a fantasy release with a 40k release), people would have had time to start collecting a small force or even just a few units from each dex. And then numerous players interst would have been split between various armies. As it is, im probably going to buy 1 or 2 new units max + dex for each my current armies. Then sit back with what I have. If they'd been just a little more patient in the short run they would have got a whole 3000+ guard or ork army out of me in the long run. Whilst this doesn't apply to all players it will definitely apply to enough to make a difference on revenue.

It'll never happen but I'd love to see a new Man O War game. Loved that game back in the day.

Are we 100% certain that they won't just update all of the 6th edition codexes for 7th.

I'd like to see Inquisition and SoB updated to full hardback codexes but that is unlikely. I would expect more supplements for the biggest selling armies, a few new kits backed with supplements, a dataslate or two for poorly selling individual kits and at least one new big independant kit like the Knight.