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Forgeworld used to be the section for the hardest of the hardcore 40k fans. They fleshed out armies with additional sub factions and models with awesome rules, and campaign books. Their choice for resin was presumably for the higher level of detail, and an expected lesser demand for their specialist miniatures. 40k was also a setting, and they utilized forgeworld as a way to further establish their lore with really indepth camapgin books.

With miniature technology seemingly skyrocketing past forgeworld resin, GW treating the universe less like a setting and more like a storyline, the models being increasingly discontinued, and their rules increasingly unusable (really bad, to the point of being a detriment), what is Forgeworld's place in current 40k, or even in GW altogether?

Specialist games and 30k.

 Gert wrote:
Specialist games and 30k.

Specalist games are under the Forgeworld design team and perview, but they're not really forgeworld products. They may as well just be the specialist games division, not forgeworld. And I say this as a person that really likes ALL of their specialist games (LOTR. Aeronautica, Titanicus, and Blood Bowl).

So FW can still be FW if they're also the specialist studio. FW sold specialist products and they still sell specialist products.

Well, their models are still nice and GW approaches the same price levels of Forgeworld. Also, the rules for FW 40K models are written by the GW designers so they're more official than ever.

On the other hand it seems obvious that their 40K and AoS lines are slowly left to die. There was one model released since 8th edition that was specifically for 40K, everything else was ported over from 30K. There are more and more things going out of production. So, saying specialist games is not Forgeworld is saying that 90% of what Forgeworld does today is not Forgeworld...

Sgt. Cortez wrote:
Well, their models are still nice and GW approaches the same price levels of Forgeworld. Also, the rules for FW 40K models are written by the GW designers so they're more official than ever.

On the other hand it seems obvious that their 40K and AoS lines are slowly left to die. There was one model released since 8th edition that was specifically for 40K, everything else was ported over from 30K. There are more and more things going out of production. So, saying specialist games is not Forgeworld is saying that 90% of what Forgeworld does today is not Forgeworld...

Well, forgeworld was the avenue to get additional miniatures, rules, and campaigns for their established systems and lore. Currently Forge world isn't that avenue for players wanting to expand their games or miniatures like they used to be.

The specalist games aren't even really branded forgeworld. If that's the case, is there a need for the brand to begin with? Shouldn't they just be the specialist games division at that point?

Still need a website name though, GW has the FW brand so they're using it.

Plus a lot of those extra miniatures are still there. The fact that GW and FW are now working in the same building and are much more connected with their rules teams, I would say is a good thing. FW has a reputation of being massively different in power levels compared to base 40k so if the FW rules section is brought more in line with having 40k, I would say that's fine.

If by 'Does Forgeworld have a place anymore?' you mean 'Is there a continuing use for Forge World as a sub-brand within GW?', then the answer is yes. That's where GW is moving specialist games. Their business focus of low-volume resin casting and catering to niche hobby products is a natural fit for the specialist games.

If by 'Does Forgeworld have a place anymore?' you mean 'Is there a future for expensive, complex resin casts of large or special models for 40K and AoS?', I'm inclined to say no. Forge World came about when plastic molding wasn't capable of nearly as good detail as resin, and GW wasn't willing to invest in plastic injection molds for very large kits. Nowadays plastic has closed the gap substantially in terms of detail, and we've had plastic Stompas and Baneblades or over a decade.

Really, a look at Forge World's release history for the past year or two tells you everything you need to know. 40K kits are getting slowly retired, and all the new content has been for Horus Heresy and smaller specialist games.

If GW proper doesnt wnat to make nice plastic Specters, wraith seers and awesome AOK... Then yes.

I'm happy with FW offering rather then having no offerings.

The rules quagmire is a whole other kettle of wraithbone.

 Argive wrote:
If GW proper doesnt wnat to make nice plastic Specters, wraith seers and awesome AOK... Then yes.

I'm happy with FW offering rather then having no offerings.

The rules quagmire is a whole other kettle of wraithbone.

Exactly. I reckon the chances of GW doing DE Reaper or Tantalus kits in plasticis is basically zilch.

While it's pretty clear that FW aren't producing new kits for 40k or AoS, and probably aren't going to in the future unless there's a change in direction, it would be a shame if the current range disappeared. There's loads of really cool models there, a number of which I would quite like to own at some point. I don't mind the resin ones going away if it means we get a plastic replacement, but unless that happens it saddens me every time something gets discontinued without warning. Not many of them have been things that I was actively thinking of buying, probably the closest was the Eldar Phoenix bomber. There's also long OOP kits that I'd love to be able to buy now - like the Vampire super heavy flyer and the firestorm AA grav tank.

I'd say I'm probably right in the core demographic for forgeworld though - I'm a collector/modeller/painter first, who spends rather too much money on model kits, and I'm quite happy to buy models I like regardless of whether they're useful in the game. Case in point being my Warlord Titan, which practically has 'display piece only' written all over it. I don't mind how official the rules are - I'd be absolutely fine it reverted to the old days of FW models being opponents' permission only or similar, if only because I only play pretty casually with people who would just be happy to see a cool model on the table.

I think that the best we can hope for would be for them to give us a bit more advance warning before they cut kits, which is setting the bar pretty low. But I'm not hopeful even for that, so it leaves us in this uncomfortable state where if you want a kit you really ought to buy it ASAP, just in case. It doesn't help matters that loads of kits on their website have been cycling through "sold out" and "no logner available", which can set you panicking if it was something that you were after. But as far as I know it's a SKU reorganisation thing for most of them rather than actually discontinuing, and they reappear shortly after.

 Bellerophon wrote:
While it's pretty clear that FW aren't producing new kits for 40k or AoS, and probably aren't going to in the future unless there's a change in direction, it would be a shame if the current range disappeared. There's loads of really cool models there, a number of which I would quite like to own at some point. I don't mind the resin ones going away if it means we get a plastic replacement, but unless that happens it saddens me every time something gets discontinued without warning. Not many of them have been things that I was actively thinking of buying, probably the closest was the Eldar Phoenix bomber. There's also long OOP kits that I'd love to be able to buy now - like the Vampire super heavy flyer and the firestorm AA grav tank.

I'd say I'm probably right in the core demographic for forgeworld though - I'm a collector/modeller/painter first, who spends rather too much money on model kits, and I'm quite happy to buy models I like regardless of whether they're useful in the game. Case in point being my Warlord Titan, which practically has 'display piece only' written all over it. I don't mind how official the rules are - I'd be absolutely fine it reverted to the old days of FW models being opponents' permission only or similar, if only because I only play pretty casually with people who would just be happy to see a cool model on the table.

I think that the best we can hope for would be for them to give us a bit more advance warning before they cut kits, which is setting the bar pretty low. But I'm not hopeful even for that, so it leaves us in this uncomfortable state where if you want a kit you really ought to buy it ASAP, just in case. It doesn't help matters that loads of kits on their website have been cycling through "sold out" and "no logner available", which can set you panicking if it was something that you were after. But as far as I know it's a SKU reorganisation thing for most of them rather than actually discontinuing, and they reappear shortly after.

Absolutely.
I have annual leave coming up.
Im planning a big hobby clear out of surplus bits.

I recon I can raise couple hundred quid. So will treat myself to either a cobra or scorpion and probably the fancy AOK.
You neve rknow when they will drop these with FW. I already missed out on all the dragons by being lazy and procrastinating with other stuff :(

Forge World's original purpose was to do in resin what could not be done in plastic.

Now that plastic technology has evolved, FW no longer has a purpose in that sense.

In a theoretical sense, if GW ported all the FW offerings to plastic and shut down FW tomorrow, I'd probably be pretty excited.

In a practical sense, GW will never port over all the FW offerings, and so shutting down FW will always be a net loss for the playerbase.

if forgeworld cut their prices 1/3rd and eliminated their laughable price hike for the US based purchases from their horrible conversion rate they might have a purpose...

or if they would give the SoB back to my avenger strike fighter so I could use my expensive paperweight that hasn't seen the light of day since they arbitrarily removed the only flyer I had access to I would give 2 gaks about them.

But who knows, maybe they might bring back inquisitor someday, their best specialist game.

Forgeworld has a bunch of unique models, in a perfect world those models would get released in plastic. What I expect will happen is they will be phased out over time.

I personally love the look of the Bloodslaughterers, it's one of those bizarre designs that only FW could love. With FW moving away from 40k I think we'll be seeing less 'weird' designs available.

Forgeworld has a place still. But I not sure if GW will use it other than support for specialist games.
Most GW game players here don’t even know it exists, and those that do buy from them are rare as it’s support for some factions may as well be zero at this point.
It doesn’t help so many issues coming out of there >.< been so unlucky. That people don’t really think of it as quality product here so much.

If it was to be phased out, I think it would be du to mismanagement.
GW itself I think should be producing some things in quality resin, for smaller runs that seemingly are a issue in plastic.

Considering I've bought more from FW than GW main in the past 12 months, I'd say they still very much have a space to exist.

And I don't even play HH! But cool models are cool models, and I'm in this hobby for the models.