Games Workshop appoints first digital agency

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**reds8n**

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/1136882/games-workshop-appoints-first-digital-agency/

Games Workshop, the retailer behind fantasy games such as 'Warhammer', has appointed the Bio Agency to handle its online services.

The digital agency was awarded the business following a four-way pitch against undisclosed agencies.

It will handle the global digital strategy for Games Workshop, which is seeking to grow its e-commerce business. It is the company's first agency appointment.

Earlier this month, Games Workshop released its first digital products to download from the iBookstore, in the form of interactive books for gamers.

Follow Sarah Shearman on Twitter @Shearmans

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk

.. hmm... so I guess we can confirm then that GW are definately pushing ahead into the digital market.

**pretre**

Very interesting! Maybe this digital agency will handle their online presence and social media presence meaning they will have one!

**BrookM**

Bonne chance! I have high hopes for this branch.

**Testify**

In other words, GW will be releasing more digital codexes.

**Gorechild**

This sounds promising to me

**Insurgency Walker**

Does that mean they hope to buy the world a marine fig, and live in harmony?

**brettz123**

Sounds like a pretty good idea.

**ShumaGorath**

pretre wrote:Very interesting! Maybe this digital agency will handle their online presence and social media presence meaning they will have one!

Having done that sort of work they'll only have the presence that GW allows them to have. That means that GW itself would have to start opening up in a more personable fashion (very unlikely) or start providing consistent news and content drips that would make social media useful to them (also unlikely). I suspect they're just going to start tweeting sameday product launches. I doubt GW considers these tools as anything other than direct marketing. These people probably won't be handling things like FAQ releases or the webstore businesses, so I don't really see much use in an agency like this in GWs strategy.

**Shotgun**

I want to be optimistic about this news. Sadly, my gut tells me GW will live up to their expectations.

**H.B.M.C.**

How's that saying go? The road to good intentions is paved with fists of ham? Something along those lines...

Though I would have liked to have seen that board meeting:

Kirby: So... digital media. I'd prefer it if we didn't even have electricity, but we can't ignore the Internet forever... Harry... what are you doing?
Exec #1: *concentrating very hard* I'm trying to will the Internet out of existance.
Exec #2: You've been doing that for 3 days straight. Trust me, it doesn't work. I tried.
Kirby: We all tried.

**AgeOfEgos**

Well, Bio Agency certainly seems to be a good pick;

http://www.thebioagency.com/#/home

Some big names on their CV and I'm sure they carried a pretty nifty price tag. Looks like GW is serious.

**BrookM**

They're representing Mount bloody Everest! GW is in good company now.

**Unholy_Martyr**

From what I can tell these people know their stuff and their CV is, as AgeofEgos mentioned, pretty impressive. I think with the amount of experience they have, Games Workshop will have to heed their advice on content drips or they'll be flushing a massive opportunity and a boatload of cash down the toilet.

**reds8n**

AgeOfEgos wrote:

http://www.thebioagency.com/#/home

Some big names on their CV and I'm sure they carried a pretty nifty price tag. Looks like GW is serious.

Yeah I googled them straight away as well

Certainly not some cowboy agency it would seem.

They're representing Mount bloody Everest! GW is in good company now.

IIRC that's where the Emperor's Palace is located so it seems apt.

**Stoffer**

This is awesome!

Good choice by GW, it was about time too.

**Testify**

H.B.M.C. wrote:How's that saying go? The road to good intentions is paved with fists of ham? Something along those lines...

Though I would have liked to have seen that board meeting:

Kirby: So... digital media. I'd prefer it if we didn't even have electricity, but we can't ignore the Internet forever... Harry... what are you doing?
Exec #1: *concentrating very hard* I'm trying to will the Internet out of existance.
Exec #2: You've been doing that for 3 days straight. Trust me, it doesn't work. I tried.
Kirby: We all tried.

You over-estimate the impact of social media on corporate PR. Virtually everyone has.

**Kroothawk**

The digital agency was awarded the business following a four-way pitch against undisclosed agencies.

How did the Bio Agency win? They were the only e-commerce agency agreeing to not making any advertising

**SilverMK2**

Interesting...

**Testify**

Unholy_Martyr wrote:From what I can tell these people know their stuff and their CV is, as AgeofEgos mentioned, pretty impressive. I think with the amount of experience they have, Games Workshop will have to heed their advice on content drips or they'll be flushing a massive opportunity and a boatload of cash down the toilet.

What? Why do the community insist that GW should just give away the information contained in rulebooks, as if that would somehow net them a load of money?

**Steve steveson**

Good lord. GW do take time to do stuff but when they do they seem to make a good show of it. I'm glad they are not a company that jumped in with "I CAN HAZ INTERNWEBS" like so many.

Personaly I think the digital stratagy they have makes sense for them. Wait for a technology to get to a point that it is mature enough then hire good people to impliment it.

**notprop**

Nice to see GW at the bleeding edge of the digital age..... It is 1999 isn't it, cos I'm partyin' like it is! Sorry that was a song, where were we?

**Unholy_Martyr**

@Testify

I never said I wanted leaked rules or anything of the sort...I was speaking in terms information about what the hell to expect (i.e. Upcoming releases more than a damn week in advance).

**Insurgency Walker**

So, based on the bio web page, what do you think will fill up the 40k light bulb. The twisted bodies of broken heretics?
Anyway. Hope they get a good return on the investment. Interesting move.

**Testify**

Unholy_Martyr wrote:@Testify

I never said I wanted leaked rules or anything of the sort...I was speaking in terms information about what the hell to expect (i.e. Upcoming releases more than a damn week in advance).

Like what?
How can you announce what's going to be in rules...without announcing the rules?
And as a press statement, something like "LOOK OUT FOR HULL POINT" would be pretty lame.
And by "a week in advance" I assume you actually mean 3 or 4 weeks since it won't be on general sale until mid July.

**H.B.M.C.**

Kroothawk wrote:How did the Bio Agency win? They were the only e-commerce agency agreeing to not making any advertising

Lowest bidder.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Testify wrote:Like what?
How can you announce what's going to be in rules...without announcing the rules?
And as a press statement, something like "LOOK OUT FOR HULL POINT" would be pretty lame.
And by "a week in advance" I assume you actually mean 3 or 4 weeks since it won't be on general sale until mid July.

You're... not very intuitive are you?

**Platuan4th**

Testify wrote:
Unholy_Martyr wrote:@Testify

I never said I wanted leaked rules or anything of the sort...I was speaking in terms information about what the hell to expect (i.e. Upcoming releases more than a damn week in advance).

Like what?
How can you announce what's going to be in rules...without announcing the rules?
And as a press statement, something like "LOOK OUT FOR HULL POINT" would be pretty lame.
And by "a week in advance" I assume you actually mean 3 or 4 weeks since it won't be on general sale until mid July.

6th goes on sale June 30th. It goes on pre-order(and thus is officially announced) June 23rd.

Unless the calendar changes, June isn't "mid July".

**Altruizine**

ShumaGorath wrote:
pretre wrote:Very interesting! Maybe this digital agency will handle their online presence and social media presence meaning they will have one!

Having done that sort of work they'll only have the presence that GW allows them to have. That means that GW itself would have to start opening up in a more personable fashion (very unlikely) or start providing consistent news and content drips that would make social media useful to them (also unlikely). I suspect they're just going to start tweeting sameday product launches. I doubt GW considers these tools as anything other than direct marketing. These people probably won't be handling things like FAQ releases or the webstore businesses, so I don't really see much use in an agency like this in GWs strategy.

Well, at least there will be somebody on the payroll and in the building to tell them "You guys are ****ing this up" when they default to their tried and true methods of failure.

Honestly, this is pretty cool. They would not have hired an agency if their plan was merely to keep rolling out digital rulebooks.

**Charax**

Hopefully the first step will be to encourage GW to change their IP Policy:

**ShumaGorath**

Altruizine wrote:
ShumaGorath wrote:
pretre wrote:Very interesting! Maybe this digital agency will handle their online presence and social media presence meaning they will have one!

Having done that sort of work they'll only have the presence that GW allows them to have. That means that GW itself would have to start opening up in a more personable fashion (very unlikely) or start providing consistent news and content drips that would make social media useful to them (also unlikely). I suspect they're just going to start tweeting sameday product launches. I doubt GW considers these tools as anything other than direct marketing. These people probably won't be handling things like FAQ releases or the webstore businesses, so I don't really see much use in an agency like this in GWs strategy.

Well, at least there will be somebody on the payroll and in the building to tell them "You guys are ****ing this up" when they default to their tried and true methods of failure.

Honestly, this is pretty cool. They would not have hired an agency if their plan was merely to keep rolling out digital rulebooks.

Having been in that business that's not actually how that goes. The agency will just stay quiet unless they were also hired on to be a consultancy for these matters.

**Necros**

Good news .. looking forward to see where it goes