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Just out of interest, what is so bad about finding out about a release 2 months before you should? What exactly does GW lose from this? Sales... of something that isn't out yet? Perhaps they think we could get bored waiting and not buy the items when they come out? I have never understood this mentality.

GW should make use of online media and printed media. Use the web to give sneak peeks of up coming releases, get people excited and talking. Use WD and fill it with glorious full colour, wam, bam, thank mam photos and articles. Something that makes you want to keep it and keep refering back to it for inspiration. Perhaps forget battle reports, because we all know they are designed to make the new army look cool.

Sales of existing models, possibly?

If you know that model X is being replaced by fabulous model X++, then you're likely to hold off on buying X

WHich is bad frmo a sunk costs perspective. Its the equivalent of stores not telling you about sales in advance - they'll take a punt that you're going to buy now, and they make a better return.

I'm still not going to buy WD - I've flicked through a couple of editions in the last 6-8 years, but have not read one since my brother had a subscription about 8-10 years ago.

I don't really care about "N&R" - I like looking at pictures of new models but that is about it. I can get plenty of that from the many different companies news letters I am signed up to who email me details of their latest stuff, WIP's, and upcoming products (along with when they will be released, how much they are likely to be, some fluff on the model if appropriate, etc)...

Orlanth wrote:

Platuan4th wrote:Translation: We realized people weren't buying our overpriced catalog and are now trying to rectify this by giving people what should have continued to be in it all along.

I think thats almost right but not quite.

Translation: We realized people weren't buying our overpriced catalog and are now trying to rectify this by making sure that internet rumours become even more vague than the contents of our magazine.

I see little that will actually change in White Dwarf, its a tightening of information flow to Warseer and Bols and a tightening on what redshirts are told. There is nothing to indicate White Dwarf will actually gain in quality as a result of this.

True dat

Frazzled wrote:

Orlanth wrote:

Platuan4th wrote:Translation: We realized people weren't buying our overpriced catalog and are now trying to rectify this by giving people what should have continued to be in it all along.

I think thats almost right but not quite.

Translation: We realized people weren't buying our overpriced catalog and are now trying to rectify this by making sure that internet rumours become even more vague than the contents of our magazine.

I see little that will actually change in White Dwarf, its a tightening of information flow to Warseer and Bols and a tightening on what redshirts are told. There is nothing to indicate White Dwarf will actually gain in quality as a result of this.

True dat

Agreed. The closure of other avenues of information and product previews like Black Boxes to stores (which were a nice perk to stores but cost GW money) is completely separate and independent of the quality of WD articles. Whether or not the discontinuation of the former leads to the improvement of the latter is yet to be seen...

nosferatu1001 wrote:Sales of existing models, possibly?

If you know that model X is being replaced by fabulous model X++, then you're likely to hold off on buying X

WHich is bad frmo a sunk costs perspective. Its the equivalent of stores not telling you about sales in advance - they'll take a punt that you're going to buy now, and they make a better return.

Is that really going to be the case? I mean if you've got a new version of a model coming out in 2 months time, I would imagine the one is being sold currently is either not selling much anyway, as it's been around for a long time. Or GW have started to ramp down production on it anyway. If it was 6mts, 8mths, 10mths, etc, ahead of the the release I think that would be fair comment.

Kroothawk wrote:
But GW is risking this to get some internet buyers back into brick and mortar stores and get more information flow control.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

You CANNOT put the genie back in the bottle. Many folks dont play in FLGS, ever(you have seen a map of the US, right?) nor can you stop the internet.

Wolfstan
I have never understood the reluctance to pass on news and be open.
The various reasons offered as to why do not help, apologies to the apologists.

If GW want to stop rumours and misinformation the best way to stop it is tell the truth themselves.
It is like the old joke, you want everyone to read something stamp it "Classified"

The less info that comes out will only increase the amount and innaccuracy of rumours.


Howard
Good point. They pull out of the largest newsagents in the country and then use WD as the primary mouthpiece.
This is known as joined up thinking.

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:It is like the old joke, you want everyone to read something stamp it "Classified"

I do occassionally wonder if this actually is GW's marketing strategy.

amazing you mean they might go back to the early 90's where buying white dwarf actually could mean something to the game???

i stopped buying it the first issue that it came out without new rules/fixes.

Flashman wrote:

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:It is like the old joke, you want everyone to read something stamp it "Classified"

I do occassionally wonder if this actually is GW's marketing strategy.

You think they might have something as grand as strategy?

I think they just throw darts at a big billboard with random mission statements written on (most of which simply say "price rise" ) and do whatever is written until they get bored and throw another dart.

Kroothawk wrote:The idea GW managers had behind this is to bring back customers to the FLGS and get first information there, and not the internet.

Eeeeeeexcept that they aren't gonna do a very good job of that, either, because the FLGS won't know what they're getting until release or shortly after release (hell, they may not even get the items until days AFTER release if this holds true, meaning the internet will have it first as usual even IF no leaks, which is a laughable prediction).


Frankly, I don't think GW understands how to deal with markets that are physically larger (in terms of distance) than the British Isles...

Wolfstan wrote:Just out of interest, what is so bad about finding out about a release 2 months before you should? What exactly does GW lose from this? Sales... of something that isn't out yet? Perhaps they think we could get bored waiting and not buy the items when they come out? I have never understood this mentality.
.

Well I think they have a problem with opinions from their clients concerning the products they sell, as such its their way to try to keep those opinions to a minimum...

carmachu wrote:

Kroothawk wrote:
But GW is risking this to get some internet buyers back into brick and mortar stores and get more information flow control.

Not. Going. To. Happen.

You CANNOT put the genie back in the bottle. Many folks dont play in FLGS, ever(you have seen a map of the US, right?) nor can you stop the internet.

Dude, he's not the one making the decision for GW but simply stating one of their possible reasons (however incorrect it may be). No need to be condescending...

Right, don't blame Kroothawk for the fact that GW is incompetent.

Flashman wrote:

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:It is like the old joke, you want everyone to read something stamp it "Classified"

I do occassionally wonder if this actually is GW's marketing strategy.

I did wonder this myself, being that its the strategy I would use (I work in marketing), then I thought nah! Not only are they going about it the wrong way but it just seems too clever when compared to usual operation.

A better analogy would be GW stamping something classified then throwing it into a river so no one will find it, then punching your grandmother a few times just case youre still thinking about that classified thing, then trying to up sell you something unrelated you just before you leave in disgust.

Uhhh... Do those in the GW head offices know that there is an app for that!

You can subscribe to an electronic edition of a magazine and download it.

So if they just made an electronic version and secured the purchasing requirements they could make money without having to print a magazine.

i'd buy the electronic version, i dont buy WD because i guarentee that i'd lose it, like i do all of my magazines...

Da_Viking wrote:Uhhh... Do those in the GW head offices know that there is an app for that!

You can subscribe to an electronic edition of a magazine and download it.

So if they just made an electronic version and secured the purchasing requirements they could make money without having to print a magazine.

People will find a way to torrent it and upload it online for all to see

Yes, but they'll do that anyway, so at least they spending the money at the printing press.

White Dwarf (and codexes) are available on torrents within a week of release.

warboss wrote:

Dude, he's not the one making the decision for GW but simply stating one of their possible reasons (however incorrect it may be). No need to be condescending...

So what. A dumb suggestion is still dumb. Vast majority of folks, in the hobby or outside, try and embrace the new media. GW is still trying to drag things back to 1990, which isnt going to happen. If you take that as condecending, hey thats your problem./

Marthike wrote:

Da_Viking wrote:Uhhh... Do those in the GW head offices know that there is an app for that!

You can subscribe to an electronic edition of a magazine and download it.

So if they just made an electronic version and secured the purchasing requirements they could make money without having to print a magazine.

People will find a way to torrent it and upload it online for all to see

How do Wizards manage with Dragon magazine then? That when online a few years ago. Funny how they can produce a magazine with actual content and have a website full of goodies, some exclusive to subscribers.

I suppose the real difference is that people are prepared to pay for Dragon magazine whereas White Dwarf is a load of crap that given half a chance people will download for free because that's all it's worth.

I used to use torrant sites to download a magazine called 3D Creative, however for the £3 a month it would cost me I could get it without any hassle and I'd be supporting a great mag. So now I pay for it every month. For this I get two versions, a hi res version and a low res version. I also get links to all the tutorial resources. Bargain in my eyes. The beauty of a mag like 3D Creative is that there ia no restriction on page quantity due to the print run costs.

Wolfstan wrote:The beauty of a mag like 3D Creative is that there ia no restriction on page quantity due to the print run costs.

That just means more space for GW adverts! Noo!

SilverMK2 wrote:

Wolfstan wrote:The beauty of a mag like 3D Creative is that there ia no restriction on page quantity due to the print run costs.

That just means more space for GW adverts! Noo!

Oooops, unforseen problem It is true though, they would bring out a mag that was 200 pages long, with 180 of them being ads, promoting themselves to people who already by their stuff / know about them !?!

Flashman wrote:

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:It is like the old joke, you want everyone to read something stamp it "Classified"

I do occassionally wonder if this actually is GW's marketing strategy.

Nah. In order to implement such a strategy properly, you have to "accidentally" leave avenues open for people to "stumble across" your supposedly classified information. Unusual models "accidentally" get left in places where visitors to GW can see them. Or a GW staffer "just happens" to stick up a Necron picture that no one's ever seen before... and then suddenly yanks it in a "panic" after an hour or so. Shutting down leaks has been a part of GW strategy for quite a while now, so this appears to be just one more attempt on GW's part to shut off the rumor spigot.

What's the problem?
3rd parties can now scoop GW to their own products by finding out GW release dates and beating them to the punch by releasing similar products first or at the same time as GW.

Why is that a problem?
Because 3rd parties can release these items before (or at the same time) GW does and drive down demand for GW products, and thus affect their sales.

How did this become a problem?
Because GW prices have become high enough that 3rd parties can successfully compete financially by releasing alternative miniatures.

What is the solution?

GW's solution:
To control the flow of information such that 3rd parties cannot scoop GW on their own product releases. But this leaves everyone, including their own consumers and staff, completely out of the loop with regard to what to expect.

The common sense solution:
To reduce prices such that 3rd parties can no longer compete in a financial manner to discourage direct competition on their products by alternative products designed to be so similar that they can be used in GW games.

pombe wrote:What's the problem?
3rd parties can now scoop GW to their own products by finding out GW release dates and beating them to the punch by releasing similar products first or at the same time as GW.

How often has this happened? That people have heard of GW preparing something for release and then managed to rush through their own production from scratch and get it out into the shops before GW have released their product? And in either case, how many people who buy GW buy stuff from other manufacturers anyway? Or even appreciate the alternatives? Because there are a lot of people who only do GW.

I think all this is them trying to come up with solutions to problems which aren't a priority, GW have other issues with their business approach that becoming ever more paranoid about leaks will not address.

To quote princess leya from Episode 4 "The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers!"
GW, dont let more star systems slip! Keep your players and be nice to them!