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 Bloodfrenzy187 wrote:
Remember today if you loved Star Wars because today is the day the franchise died.

Have you seen what it's demented creator has done to it in the last 30 years?

 Bloodfrenzy187 wrote:
Remember today if you loved Star Wars because today is the day the franchise died.

The second episode one was released is the day the franchise died Sir.

 Ailaros wrote:

It is tempered, of course, by the fact that GW is friggin 700 GBP per share. You can give big dividends out of small profits if you only have a small pool of owners.

It is not. UK stocks are listed in GBp (i.e. pence). GW is somewhat under 7 GBP per share today.

 Bloodfrenzy187 wrote:
Remember today if you loved Star Wars because today is the day the franchise died.

I don't know, we might actually see the original trilogy released restored on Blu-ray without edits now.

Then again this is Disney, so they'd milk us with a series of subsequently better Special Editions first.

Zweischneid wrote:It is not. UK stocks are listed in GBp (i.e. pence). GW is somewhat under 7 GBP per share today.

Oh, nevermind then. That's strange.

Bloodfrenzy187 wrote:Remember today if you loved Star Wars because today is the day the franchise died.

Firstly, yeah, I think George Lucas has already done a pretty brutal work-over of his materials himself.

Secondly, I'm actually not afraid of Disney acquiring stuff anymore. When Disney acquired the rights for Miyazaki's work and announced that they were going to redo them as dubs, I ran into the basement and wepts bitter tears of torment and anguish for three days.

But instead of Disney the princess company, they were Disney the respectful of art forms company, and the end result was some really high quality work that didn't screw around with what made the original content good. As such, I think we're going to be pleasantly surprised with how things go in the future.

Plus, it's a great acquisition for Disney. It jives very well on the one hand with their media side (Lucasarts will fit very nicely next to Pixar), and as well on the content side (carefully managing iconic characters over time).

Plus Marvel. Its only gotten better since being purchased.

FenixZero wrote:
Plus Marvel. Its only gotten better since being purchased.

As the only person in the western world who didn't like the Avengers, I disagree. But anyway.


I think there's potential in the 40k brand, particularly if a good film were made. It could have serious mass appeal.

Similarly a blockbuster game would be possible, Space Marine wasn't too great from all we've heard.

From what I heard and saw, it had great feel, and fine story. But it could have had more to it than what was there.

Only 300 million?

Doesn't Blizzard make half that much A MONTH from warcraft subscriptions???

Me thinks GW should not have been so stingy with their IP forcing Blizzard to do a one-off...

Gross? Perhaps. You've got to take out operating expenses and the highest corporate tax rate in the world (CA, USA), the the actual profit is much less than that.

Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:
Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

The 3D printing technology is not there yet for personal use, the machines are still too expensive.

A few 40k films done in the same spectacle as the Avengers would make more money than the mini's ever would. It could be worth the investment.

 DeathReaper wrote:

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:
Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

The 3D printing technology is not there yet for personal use, the machines are still too expensive.

Just give it 10 years. 3D printing will do to the wargaming industry what the mp3 did to the music industry.

For that reason, I don't think GW will be acquired by anyone.

 Testify wrote:

FenixZero wrote:
Plus Marvel. Its only gotten better since being purchased.

As the only person in the western world who didn't like the Avengers, I disagree. But anyway.

Nope, that makes 2 of us, it ws rather sad and pathetic.

And yes, GW already has a large world wide base of pretty hardcore fans. Plus a movie about things blowing up and people killing each other in a sci-fi setting is bound to make a few quid.

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:

 DeathReaper wrote:

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:
Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

The 3D printing technology is not there yet for personal use, the machines are still too expensive.

Just give it 10 years. 3D printing will do to the wargaming industry what the mp3 did to the music industry.

For that reason, I don't think GW will be acquired by anyone.

What, like the music industry wargaming will still be around?

 Mr. Burning wrote:

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:

 DeathReaper wrote:

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:
Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

The 3D printing technology is not there yet for personal use, the machines are still too expensive.

Just give it 10 years. 3D printing will do to the wargaming industry what the mp3 did to the music industry.

For that reason, I don't think GW will be acquired by anyone.

What, like the music industry wargaming will still be around?

Yes but GW will have a hard time justifiying there costs, and maintaning the monopoly on the market.

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:

 DeathReaper wrote:

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:
Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

The 3D printing technology is not there yet for personal use, the machines are still too expensive.

Just give it 10 years. 3D printing will do to the wargaming industry what the mp3 did to the music industry.

For that reason, I don't think GW will be acquired by anyone.

In 10 years there is a lot of money to be made.

And they will adapt, the music industry is adapting.

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:

 DeathReaper wrote:

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:
Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

The 3D printing technology is not there yet for personal use, the machines are still too expensive.

Just give it 10 years. 3D printing will do to the wargaming industry what the mp3 did to the music industry.

For that reason, I don't think GW will be acquired by anyone.

You can keep your Papier-mâché!

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:
Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

True.

But I think the entire discussion on whether or not someone would buy GW revolves around the idea that their IP would be worth something for games, movies, books, etc.. (or perhaps not).

I doubt anyone would buy them (in a take-over sense) for their miniature production. If you think the miniature-production has a future (despite 3D Printing), you'd buy.. dunno.. 3% of the company and let them to their thing.

And 3D printing might actually work to their advantage if they manage to build an "iTunes-style" distribution and avoid mass-scale piracy. People seem content to play 10 or 20 bucks for their iPad Codex and Painting Guides. Why wouldn't they pay for an "official" Space Marine template that you'll print out yourself on your home 3D Printer? Again, the "IP" (and, presumably, the ability to go to court against copy-cats) would make the difference.

 Ailaros wrote:

But instead of Disney the princess company, they were Disney the respectful of art forms company, and the end result was some really high quality work that didn't screw around with what made the original content good. As such, I think we're going to be pleasantly surprised with how things go in the future.

Plus, it's a great acquisition for Disney. It jives very well on the one hand with their media side (Lucasarts will fit very nicely next to Pixar), and as well on the content side (carefully managing iconic characters over time).

Yeah, Disney even brought back Oswald the Lucky Rabbit! It seems that Eisner's ousting shed Disney from the worst corporate mentality.

To get back to topic, acquiring a company in niche business is no guarantee of success and many experienced corporate execs know this. Typically these companies have loyal customer base with very strict 'picture' of what they want, and an outsider going in and starting to meddle with it can screw things up real quick.

Recently I read an article how investors buying boat manufacturers tended to just lose their money. There were cases of investors buying out a boat yard, screwing things up, and selling it back to original owners - with discount. Why? Because they did not understand the business they entered: all the things they saw as "waste" and "inefficiency" were actually little things which customers wanted and valued and were ready to pay for. They wanted a "classic" product, not an impersonal product where PowerPoint execs had cut corners everywhere.

Oh this is just pocket change for me. I'll buy GW tomorrow and inform you that 40K is now told from the Jokaero perspective and the Emperor has been replaced with a very much alive Konrad Curze.

 Harriticus wrote:
Oh this is just pocket change for me. I'll buy GW tomorrow and inform you that 40K is now told from the Jokaero perspective and the Emperor has been replaced with a very much alive Konrad Curze.

Sharpen yer pitchforks and grab yer torches!

 Zweischneid wrote:

 Xenocidal Maniac wrote:
Interesting topic.

As an investor, I wouldn't touch GW with a 100 foot pole. Two words:

3D Printing.

True.

But I think the entire discussion on whether or not someone would buy GW revolves around the idea that their IP would be worth something for games, movies, books, etc.. (or perhaps not).

I doubt anyone would buy them (in a take-over sense) for their miniature production. If you think the miniature-production has a future (despite 3D Printing), you'd buy.. dunno.. 3% of the company and let them to their thing.

And 3D printing might actually work to their advantage if they manage to build an "iTunes-style" distribution and avoid mass-scale piracy. People seem content to play 10 or 20 bucks for their iPad Codex and Painting Guides. Why wouldn't they pay for an "official" Space Marine template that you'll print out yourself on your home 3D Printer? Again, the "IP" (and, presumably, the ability to go to court against copy-cats) would make the difference.

I think you make a good point. If 3D printing can get to the quality level of models created by professional design the money will be in an iTunes style program. Instead of buying models online or at a store you will buy the design and print them out. If I had any software and design knowledge it would definitely be something to look into creating. Although I'm sure Apple and Microsoft are already exploring the idea.

As long as GW intellectual property stays where it's at no one in their right mind would buy GW. There is little growth, if any. And the only avenues of revenue are the wargaming, books, and video games. And the books and video games are sold primarily to the people already buying the wargaming. The only way GW would ever be a lucrative company for a buyout is if the 40k universe becomes main stream like Star Wars, Star Trek, LOTR, etc. And these days that requires a major entertainment event to potentially take a foothold (ie. a blockbuster movie). If 40k could establish itself as a commercially successful universe with revenue coming from multiple sources then maybe someone might look at buying GW. But right now their three areas of revenue all comes from people already buying the wargaming. Once GW can start making money off of 40k from people who don't do the wargaming things might begin to take off.

And on the Disney topic: when Eisner was CEO the Disney way was the only way and everything was micromanaged. They would buy something and suddenly that entity had to comply with all of Disney's business practices. Turns out that wasn't a good business practice and Eisner was kicked out. When Iger took over their business model changed to buying tent-pole franchises and to take the business practices of the entities they bought and incorporate them into Disney's business practices, not the other way around. Read up on the Disney-Pixar and Disney-Marvel deals. Both those companies remain almost entirely intact and very little has changed at them, if anything. Disney top management does very little micromanaging of its entities and let's them do their thing. You don't spend $4 billion on something that has a proven track record and change it up to suite your needs, you spend $4 billion on something that has a proven track record and you keep running down that track.

If they'd only start actually ADVERTISING, they'd probably be able to break into a minor mainstream role. The full extent of their ads to date are posters in Wargaming stores, and ads in the magazine that people only buy because of how it relates to the game they're already playing.

Anvildude wrote:
If they'd only start actually ADVERTISING, they'd probably be able to break into a minor mainstream role. The full extent of their ads to date are posters in Wargaming stores, and ads in the magazine that people only buy because of how it relates to the game they're already playing.

On the other side, 40k would get
sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo maintsream

O'come on. We are not hipsters.

Hipster wargamers play Malifaux and Historicals.

 Grey Templar wrote:
O'come on. We are not hipsters.

Hipster wargamers play Malifaux and Historicals.

True, cause space marines are too mainstream.

Hmm. I'm not convinced that 3D printing will become the main way of creating miniatures. It's never going to be particularly quick compared to injecting plastic into a mold given that it needs to be done one layer at a time, meaning that the only way it could be done en mass would be an extremely large production line, and if you're not doing it en mass it will be hard to build up the 3D model on CAD without pro help to a reasonable standard. Not to mention the cost of 3D printers. Sure, it's going to go down probably, but it will never be particularly cheap nor fast.

Yes, 3D printing is coming. No, I'm not worried for GW. Yes, some companies are slaughtered by technology, but not everybody is. The music industry may not have survived the internet, but video game manufacturers certainly did. Yes, the chaff got cut out, but I don't think you can say that steam is on the verge of collapse. It adapted and survived.

In the case of GW, yes, we're all going to have 3D printers eventually, but who is going to have them first, the millions of us, or the multimillion dollar company? Obviously GW is going to get its hands on 3D printing well before we do, and is going to be able to restructure accordingly. In the far future, I could see what Jim is talking about, where they outsource the actual manufacturing to the individual gamers, and make money off of their IP.

In any case, while 3D printing is going to revolutionize everything, we're not going to have one in every home for decades. GW has time to shift form manufacturing-oriented niche market to something that has a cheaper, broader appeal.

Also got to remember the type of products GW sells. Compared to the Lucas arts, who made bank with the 6 movies they produced, dozens of video games, miniatures, Legos, novels, comics, ect, it's no wonder SW is worth so many times that of GW. If GW invested in making some real movies, and continued with it's video game sales, there'd be some serious room for profits to be had.