Games Workshop pausing pre-orders for the next few weeks...

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**tneva82**

kodos wrote:
tneva82 wrote:

This assumes there's unexpected issue they don't know how to solve. Rather than something they knew in advance and that just takes time. Seeing gw has timeline already for when warehouse this seems more preplanned th#ng.

I assume that they exactly knew what was coming but thought they can solve it on the fly and did not need to do anything in advance

Uuh yeah that's why they publicize it 2 weeks ahead(thus knowing it before that). Yeah right,

**kodos**

tneva82 wrote:
kodos wrote:
tneva82 wrote:

This assumes there's unexpected issue they don't know how to solve. Rather than something they knew in advance and that just takes time. Seeing gw has timeline already for when warehouse this seems more preplanned th#ng.

I assume that they exactly knew what was coming but thought they can solve it on the fly and did not need to do anything in advance

Uuh yeah that's why they publicize it 2 weeks ahead(thus knowing it before that). Yeah right,

why do you assume that whatever causes the delay is going to happen in 2 weeks, and is not something that has already happend?

**Overread**

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Overread wrote:
AllSeeingSkink wrote:
Overread wrote:
GW might rely on new sales as a big surge in volume, but lets not kid ourselves. They are very unlikely to suffer in the short term if they take a few weeks off. Last year they took a whole two months off and it was one of their most profitable years on record.
Last year was an oddball year, hardly a good example in terms of how much GW lose for not having weekly releases.

We know from back in the days when GW released sales figures (was it for the Chapterhouse case I think?) that sales of a particular item dried up very rapidly after release.

I'm sure it's not as bad as video games, where most of the money is made in the first few days then after that it's a trickle, but "new shiny" is a big part of GW's business strategy.

2021 is also another oddball year.

We also have to consider the difference between high profit and steady profit sales levels. Does GW actually rely on big boom sales to maintain its functional income and profiting; or are they the cream on the cake that provides excess which gives them resources to expand and such. Provided GW's operational income remains viable the company isn't in any danger for the short term.

I never suggested they were in danger, just that it's likely to hurt their profits maybe by a few million pounds under normal circumstances, and under normal circumstances I reckon they'd try to not let something as mundane as a warehouse move stop them releasing new kits for a few weeks.

I think there's a good chance the shut down has more to do with being unable to meet demand on new releases, so shutting down for a few weeks to rebuild their inventory potentially loses them less potential revenue than releasing new kits when they can't ship enough out to stock the store shelves.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Overread wrote:
At the same time some issues for a small firm are easier to resolve than for a big firm because of the scale of the operation. A 1 person production site changing warehouses is likely a pain but something they can do in the background. A multinational doing the same thing suddenly has a LOT more people involved; has to hire in new staff to help facilitate the move; has to invest in other resources and back end changes etc...

But a big company can afford to outsource a lot of headaches, and dedicate staff to full time manage the preparation and move to have minimal affect on day to day operations. A small company by comparison might not be able to afford to outsource, and may not have staff to spare to organise the move.

In the end it comes down to management of time and people regardless of the size of the company.

Are they just moving warehouse or their production also? The former doesn't sound like a big deal, the latter would be.

GW aren't moving production, they only just finished a new factory are Nottingham and its unlikely they'll move their main base of operations. The only factory style moving is that apparently the old warehouse at the GW main site is being remade into a resin production facility/extension of Forgeworld. This might well mean good things for the likes of Specialist games getting more room at GW and thus more resources to produce. It might mean FW gets back to some of its former glory and it might be GW clearing the way to prep for Old World.

**kodos**

StraightSilver wrote:
The main reason for all of the issues at GW right now is this:

https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/15/games_workshop_erp_saga/

An earlier post about the same thing:

https://www.theregister.com/2020/01/14/games_workshop_warns_of_risks_in_microsoft_dynamics_365_erp_project/

This is a big deal for any company and if you read the first article can be devastating if not implemented correctly.

Frankly, it hasn't gone swimmingly and now a 3rd party has been drafted in to help (now on GW payroll permanently).

This has affected absolutely every aspect of their business and is causing quite a few headaches.

Combine this with the move into the new distribution hub (delayed by COVID and the above), Brexit (GW is being hit hard because it's products are manufactured in multiple countries of origin), Nottinghamshire Council not playing ball relating to GW's need for extra electricity supply so it can ramp up manufacturing, COVID causing all sorts of delays/problems, and Ever Green and you have a perfect storm that is hitting GW really badly right now.

might be the answer for the "why"

**Wha-Mu-077**

Eh, serves 'em right if they're in trouble. Can't bring myself to have the slightest ounce of sympathy for such a greedy gakky company

**chaos0xomega**

Yeah, the ERP issues seem like a pretty likely reason for a 2 week halt in releases, as well as likely being a contributing factor to the ordering/inventory woes many shops have experienced (some shops having orders cut or cancelled while others are receiving inventory in excess of what they should have been allocated based on the information GW has been providing retailers, etc.).

A borked ERP system (whether it be an issue that the new ERP isn't functioning correctly or that it isn't fully implemented/deployed/integrated yet and GW is having to manually manage the data across several databases) would certainly explain all of the problems over the last few months, including seemingly lower than normal production numbers, etc. Depending on the issues and where they are with the implementation and integration, the 2 week pause could be necessary in order to correct whatever issue they are having on the back-end, or it could well be the final integration/deployment window needed to get them over the hump and fully functional again.

**Overread**

Wha-Mu-077 wrote:
Eh, serves 'em right if they're in trouble. Can't bring myself to have the slightest ounce of sympathy for such a greedy gakky company

Yes yes let the hate flow though you. Soon your transformation will be complete, soon you will turn fully to the dark side! Soon it will consume you!

**Argive**

Kid_Kyoto wrote:
No new releases?! Oh no!

What about the fans who finished painting their backlog?

I mean they could exist. In theory.

I just seen some flying pigs. Fo sho.

**deano2099**

Sarouan wrote:
kodos wrote:
tneva82 wrote:

This assumes there's unexpected issue they don't know how to solve. Rather than something they knew in advance and that just takes time. Seeing gw has timeline already for when warehouse this seems more preplanned th#ng.

I assume that they exactly knew what was coming but thought they can solve it on the fly and did not need to do anything in advance

I'm more thinking about what happens in every big organization in the world : something the management didn't take into account / wasn't aware of and it finally gripes the machine so much they need to do that.

Mantic Games has also big troubles with their production, after all. So it's not just because it's GW.

Funny how a lot of people seem to believe that because you're big, you can't fail at the most stupidest detail and that if that happens, it's a conspiration or done on purpose. Really, no.

It always feels to me like everyone works for companies that don't have their gak together and yet assumes every other company has it's gak together. The majority really don't. And there's only so far you can go with throwing money at it.

**yukishiro1**

chaos0xomega wrote:
Yeah, the ERP issues seem like a pretty likely reason for a 2 week halt in releases, as well as likely being a contributing factor to the ordering/inventory woes many shops have experienced (some shops having orders cut or cancelled while others are receiving inventory in excess of what they should have been allocated based on the information GW has been providing retailers, etc.).

A borked ERP system (whether it be an issue that the new ERP isn't functioning correctly or that it isn't fully implemented/deployed/integrated yet and GW is having to manually manage the data across several databases) would certainly explain all of the problems over the last few months, including seemingly lower than normal production numbers, etc. Depending on the issues and where they are with the implementation and integration, the 2 week pause could be necessary in order to correct whatever issue they are having on the back-end, or it could well be the final integration/deployment window needed to get them over the hump and fully functional again.

Yeah, it explains why they haven't just tried to blame it on Covid too, which would be the easy out. Notice the weasel words at the start of the announcement about how "It’s still a pretty weird time for anyone making physical products and shipping them around the globe." - note how this is deliberately worded to make it sound like this is the reason for closing down pre-orders, but that the announcement is extremely careful not to actually come out and say that.

**lord_blackfang**

Warehouse crew should stop erotic roleplaying and get back to work

**Danny76**

Argive wrote:
Kid_Kyoto wrote:
No new releases?! Oh no!

What about the fans who finished painting their backlog?

I mean they could exist. In theory.

I just seen some flying pigs. Fo sho.

Them being the steeds those same fans ride to GW on to make their next purchase.

**Ghaz**

From 'Sunday Preview – Prepare for Hive War on Warhammer Community':

Normal pre-order service will resume on Saturday the 8th of May, when, among other new goodies, we’ll be officially launching the new Necromunda starter set, Hive War.

**DaveC**

So these are actually AoS

such an odd mix of elements in the silhouette

**Leggy**

That's a Sylvaneth, right? It's a bizarre mix of elementa but its gotta be Sylvaneth

**Wha-Mu-077**

Leggy wrote:
That's a Sylvaneth, right? It's a bizarre mix of elementa but its gotta be Sylvaneth

Yep. Nice to see, thought Geedubs completely forgot about 'em.

**GoatboyBeta**

DaveC wrote:
So these are actually AoS

Spoiler:

such an odd mix of elements in the silhouette

Spoiler:

Well this is super intriguing. Looks like an Elvish silhouette for the body, with a horn or trumpet on the right and the baby bugs from the rumour engine on top of the head dress. Base could be a lot of things, possibly vines or tentacles? I'm gonna take punt at either new Sylvaneth or Idoneth.

**MobileSuitRandom**

Argh! Whatever that is, it's blowing into a quite large horn, so possibly even some kind of re-born Orion to lead the Kurnothi faction? There's also a shape in the middle that might either be a bow or some kind of blade. Hm.

**Kanluwen**

I'd be shocked if it's Idoneth. It definitely seems to be Sylvaneth, as the base is thorned vines not unlike what the Underworlds warband has.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

MobileSuitRandom wrote:
Argh! Whatever that is, it's blowing into a quite large horn, so possibly even some kind of re-born Orion to lead the Kurnothi faction? There's also a shape in the middle that might either be a bow or some kind of blade. Hm.

If it's Orion, it would be a dramatic departure for him.

Better money is on this model being a variation of the "Thornwych" concept that Ylthari is fluffed as.

**Danny76**

Yeah I’d go Sylvaneth.
Vines, do they match a rumour engine of something that we thought were tentacles?

**lord_blackfang**

Plants, bugs and vials are all Sylvaneth callsigns

**SamusDrake**

Well, after the cock up that was Cursed City, would we be setting ourselves up for disappointment if we start looking forward to the release of Hive Wars?

**Aeneades**

Hive Wars is just reboxed existing kits so can’t see it being an issue with production or in high demand.

**MobileSuitRandom**

Kanluwen wrote:
MobileSuitRandom wrote:
Argh! Whatever that is, it's blowing into a quite large horn, so possibly even some kind of re-born Orion to lead the Kurnothi faction? There's also a shape in the middle that might either be a bow or some kind of blade. Hm.

If it's Orion, it would be a dramatic departure for him.

Better money is on this model being a variation of the "Thornwych" concept that Ylthari is fluffed as.

Yeah I was thinking huge centerpiece hero first but looking closer at the details it might just be that, really very much the same components apart from the horn/blade (?) instead of a staff.

**GoatboyBeta**

Kanluwen wrote:

Better money is on this model being a variation of the "Thornwych" concept that Ylthari is fluffed as.

Yep can totally see that. Interesting that they didn't give the name of the book its from just the series. So maybe Broken Realms Alarielle?

**alextroy**

I think we are looking at Kragnos, the name of the fourth Broken Realms book. All the others have been named after a specific centerpiece character.

**Ghaz**

GoatboyBeta wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:

Better money is on this model being a variation of the "Thornwych" concept that Ylthari is fluffed as.

Yep can totally see that. Interesting that they didn't give the name of the book its from just the series. So maybe Broken Realms Alarielle?

Considering they're revealing the miniature tomorrow we might find out then.

**CMLR**

alextroy wrote:
I think we are looking at Kragnos, the name of the fourth Broken Realms book. All the others have been named after a specific centerpiece character.

Then why in the trailer they showed up a massive centauroid as the main focus?

There is also a bestial face in one of the latest articles from War-Com, so there is no way this is Kragnos.

**alextroy**

You may be right. I may be right. We will know tomorrow. It will be interesting if they are introducting two new characters in Broken Realms Kragnos since it doesn't resemble any old model I can think of. Then again, a lot of reintroduced models don't look like the old model in AOS.

**Kanluwen**

Kragnos has 3, so far, mentioned as coming with the book.

The Witch Hunter duo, Lord Kroak Redux, and the Slaanesh thingies.