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The way I see it is that if they're going to consolidate their unit names much more across various international markets, it's largely a good thing. If they're not consolidating the unit names and are no longer printing the names in as many languages on the boxes, I see it as a pointless change on their part with no actual upside.

Likewise if they're translating the codices and core rulebooks, etc into other languages, I see no reason for them to not also translate the digital products. They could be translating them at a slower rate after laying off most of their localisation teams (and given their changes to product previews of late - no surprise if we don't hear about them until the day before release day), or if they're not doing it at all, it's still possible that they're doing it not out of a "retreat", but simply being arrogant/dickheads. Similar to how the Sisters army list isn't available anywhere in English short of torrent sites and dropped boxes around the place.

But having said that, I think the OP posit is a bit melodramatic.

Glass half full.

The building instructions booklet contained in the Vanguard and Sternguard boxes is still printed with multiple languages.

Could it be an aesthetic design choice to streamline the box fronts rather than a headlong retreat from the rest of the world?

It still doesn't make a lot of sense. GW printed the small parts/ choking hazard warning in 23 languages on one side of the new tactical box and the assembly required note in five on another side.

i would assume that the 'small parts/choking hazard' is a legal requirement in various parts of the world.

Sigh... I won't be able to sue GW if I accidentally choke myself or my children with small part because it was'nt written in my native language! Evil plan avoid... well done GW... well done!

xruslanx wrote:i would assume that the 'small parts/choking hazard' is a legal requirement in various parts of the world.

As would I, but it still begs the question of why bother changing something they've been doing that is convenient and possibly even helpful for new customers? It's just another odd decision by GW in a long line of oddities that spawns all the "GW hates money/customers" thoughts.

Qcbob wrote:Sigh... I won't be able to sue GW if I accidentally choke myself or my children with small part because it was'nt written in my native language! Evil plan avoid... well done GW... well done!

To keep this thread updated, here more evidence:

November sees the second "full Codex" release in English (and digital) only: Inquisition. With Codex Adepta Sororitas in October.

Here an official statement by Games Workshop Digital Editions:

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone these days without a tablet, phone, pc, laptop, mac or eReader. If people have one of these and decide not to buy the book, that is entirely up to them, in much the same way people can decide to buy a new physical codex, or not.
We certainly aren't going to stop making digital books, but you will probably see the majority of the more popular titles make it into print.

So according to GW, everyone can use digital GW products, because everyone in the world obviously speaks English. People in Nottingham would be hard pressed to find anyone not able to speak English. See?

Some of these products might see a print version, if they prove popular among the English speaking mobile computer owning crowd.

That axe has got to be pretty sharp by now, Kroot

I'm not really sure what the point is here though? GW not releasing other language translated products for people who speak other languages sucks for them. Of course.

Now what though? GW obviously thinks that somehow doing this will result in a net-profit so I don't really get what is supposed to come out of this discussion?

Honest question... just seems pretty cut and dry to me.

 Kroothawk wrote:
To keep this thread updated, here more evidence:

November sees the second "full Codex" release in English (and digital) only: Inquisition. With Codex Adepta Sororitas in October.

Here an official statement by Games Workshop Digital Editions:

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone these days without a tablet, phone, pc, laptop, mac or eReader. If people have one of these and decide not to buy the book, that is entirely up to them, in much the same way people can decide to buy a new physical codex, or not.
We certainly aren't going to stop making digital books, but you will probably see the majority of the more popular titles make it into print.

So according to GW, everyone can use digital GW products, because everyone in the world obviously speaks English. People in Nottingham would be hard pressed to find anyone not able to speak English. See?

Some of these products might see a print version, if they prove popular among the English speaking mobile computer owning crowd.

You're posting in English, on a predominantly English-speaking forum with a German flag.

GW's strategy is a retreat fight. They have no intention to gain new customers by advertising and standard marketing, but accept the exponential loss of existing customers. To keep total revenue flat, they have to milk the remaining customers exponentially. Their means seem to be to drop support for all non-English speaking customers, all customers not wealthy enough for electronic gadgets and so on.

 Kanluwen wrote:
You're posting in English, on a predominantly English-speaking forum with a German flag.

Some people not only care about themself. Crazy, but happens.
BTW I wouldn't have been able to post here in my teens.

 RiTides wrote:
That axe has got to be pretty sharp by now, Kroot

LOL!

I can understand being pissed at GW.

I can't quite understand expending so much effort being pissed at GW.

In a word, no:

http://investor.games-workshop.com/2013/07/29/2012-2013-annual-report/

That's not to say they're expanding either. From the CEO's commentary they do not appear to be actively seeking new stores, nor looking at closing any in asia markets either. It's kind of in limbo.

In a word: Yes (total revenue in GBP, inflation adjusted):


(BTW I lost the link to the original post for this graph and who created it, if someone can help)

 Kroothawk wrote:
Hi,

it is an official GW policy change that from now on, new packaging of GW products will only feature the English (and French) names of the units. This includes boxes and blisters and all sides of the packaging. We also have experienced that about half the rules publications will be in English only, see Death from the Sky, all Codex supplements, AFAIK all digital products and now even the small hardcover 40k rulebook. We know, that the German translation team was disbanded some time ago, to be replaced by a core team or single person in Nottingham and that one single person is responsible for all Japanese translations.

All this is difficult to explain, other than GW plans to retreat from all non-English markets and tries to shrink even further instead of expanding to its full potential.

What can be the reasoning behind all this? Frankly, I don't know, but it doesn't sound good or healthy. Any ideas?

BTW this discussion is in General Discussion, as one mod found that this change of GW policy doesn't deserve a discussion in News & Rumours beyond the day of confirmation, so here we are.

I personally believe that the company is a stones throw from going belly up. So, yes. They have no market share when they don't provide support and take it.

If they would get their head out of the fourth point of contact, they would be able to easily turn their sorry performance around.


But they won't, so they can bite the proverbial bullet and take what comes with piecing out a large corporation entity.

@kroothawk That is probably the most meaningless graph wrt to the OP point you could post. It is simply a sum of their revenue, and has nothing to do with individual markets (i.e. non-english speaking markets, like Asia).

Now that I look at it, it's also wrong. It is different than the Finance Review from 2009 - 2013, p. 6. 2009 should be less than 2010 on your graph, which it clearly is not. It should also be in millions (GBP).

That shows a company that boomed with a significant licence which no longer has the same cache as before then a plateau at a resized level higher than it was before during the worst recession for decades. So Kirby dun good?

What does that have to do with GW hating on dirty foreign types? How does that prove that theory?

From CEO Tom Kirby:

We look at many other things as well: how many staff per store we have (UK: 1.9, Continental Europe: 1.6, North America: 1.7, Australia:
1.5, Asia: 1.0), how many stores we have (UK: 137, Continental Europe: 135, North America: 99, Australia: 37, Asia: 4),
how many we think we could open (close) next year
(UK: 4 (1), Continental Europe: 10 (4), North America: 38 (28), Australia: 4 (4)).
None of these is a KEY performance indicator. They are simply part of the huge complex of information we use all the time to keep tabs on what is going on and none of them is used to anticipate future performance.

Dated July 19, 2013

I apologize for the broad characterization, but I really don't understand why people have to be so pedantic about Games Workshop being criticized for writing off a swath of extant, loyal customers. If I was German, I would be pissed off, even if I was fluent in English, so I don't begrudge someone in Germany being pissed off about it.

People can say what they want about it being a sensible business decision, but whatever the cost savings, it is a big 'F you' to a segment of the extant customer base that had been enjoying a given level of support and attention that is now being increasingly denied. I think customers in non-English-speaking countries should stop supporting Games Workshop, and communicate their reasoning to the company.

Seriously, how expensive is it to translate a digital book? That's really the issue. GW is being so darn cheap with these e-dexes that they won't include new artwork or sufficient editing, let alone translate them. If GW has to be that concerned with sucking profit out of digital codices, I can't say that it is a solid indication of the health of the company. This is simply another in a long line of decisions to increase revenue/profits at the expense of customer goodwill. GW views goodwill as an asset that can be cannibalized.

Games Workshop is eating its boots to survive.

It probably costs several thousand pounds to do a good quality translation and layout, but there is no production cost of physical copies and they charge the same for the digital book as the physical one.

Actuslly, translations are not always good. I much prefer the English versions.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
It probably costs several thousand pounds to do a good quality translation and layout, but there is no production cost of physical copies and they charge the same for the digital book as the physical one.

Exactly, several thousand pounds. You might say, "Whoa now! Several thousand pounds for several different languages adds up!" But it don't add up to a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. And if GW has to shave off that kind of expense to make sure it eeks some profit out of the e-dexes...how much is it really making from the e-dexes in the first place?

Then you have to ask if the money you stand to make from the untranslated e-dexes is worth the hit to your goodwill. Games Workshop has obviously decided that it is, and it follows that GW feels that it needs to make an extra 10-15 grand off of every e-dex, and is spinning those lumps of cheap, recirculated crap out every month. What does that communicate about the health of the company?

To me, that shows a company that is looking around wildly for any scrap of IP to squeeze some profit out of. It looks like a snazzy idea someone cooked up to take work that was pretty much already done, spend a little effort to throw a few pages of new content in, utilize salaried employees to do the layout, and throw it up for download as quickly as possible. These things are in the same vein as GW lowering its standards and licensing whatever IP it can to whatever software developer is willing to spit out a tablet game. These licences are cheap, and GW risks diluting the value of the IP with a series of crappy, poorly-received games. High risk, low profit. That is not a move made by a company that can afford to turn away a few thousand dollars to maintain the integrity of its most valuable asset.

Again, GW is cannibalizing itself. GW already ate its employees, and already ate its decent retail locations. GW ate the good stuff already. It ate the horses and dogs. GW is down to eating its boots to survive, and when those are done, GW management is going to be eyeing each other with hungry stares...Hell, they already devoured Gill, but she was dying from an infected wound anyhow...so they didn't kill her so much as, you know...eat her.

They are retreating, that´s for sure.

In my city we went from three GW (big) stores to one (and really small) in less than a year. And the English-only supplements is another hint.

Then we have the AS codex. There are some SoB players here, and most of them do not speak/read English. I have seen at least two custom-made translations printed and used. It is the only way to keep the army they have invested so much money in, but then again this shouldn´t be that way. There should be another option.

And there are even more players interested in the Inquisition.

weeble1000 wrote:

People can say what they want about it being a sensible business decision, but whatever the cost savings, it is a big 'F you' to a segment of the extant customer base that had been enjoying a given level of support and attention that is now being increasingly denied. I think customers in non-English-speaking countries should stop supporting Games Workshop, and communicate their reasoning to the company.

Seriously, how expensive is it to translate a digital book? That's really the issue. GW is being so darn cheap with these e-dexes that they won't include new artwork or sufficient editing, let alone translate them. If GW has to be that concerned with sucking profit out of digital codices, I can't say that it is a solid indication of the health of the company. This is simply another in a long line of decisions to increase revenue/profits at the expense of customer goodwill. GW views goodwill as an asset that can be cannibalized.

Games Workshop is eating its boots to survive.

There are lots of people that would translate them for free.

Nah... all they need to do is run it through Babelfish.

What's the worst that could happen?

The Auld Grump

 TheAuldGrump wrote:
Nah... all they need to do is run it through Babelfish.

What's the worst that could happen?

The Auld Grump

Don't they already do that?

weeble1000 wrote:

 TheAuldGrump wrote:
Nah... all they need to do is run it through Babelfish.

What's the worst that could happen?

The Auld Grump

Don't they already do that?

I remember all the complaining on these and other boards when GW did produce different language versions because the translations ended up making the game play differently, or have different rules applications, than the english versions. Then the FAQs would often come out earlier or faster for foreign language versions, which caused much gnashing of teeth as well. GW can't keep their main game, in english, organized and edited. No way they manage it across how many languages?

I also travelled in Argentina and talked with some gamers there (veery small stores, veeery high prices) and they didn't speak english, so this change will likely mean whatever inroads they made there will be gone.

I think it would be better financially to farm out translations to a secondary company who specializes in it. It would most likely be cheaper than the yearly salarys to keep said employees and if something comes out wrong you can blame the company or even sue them. Not that GW would ever sue anyone.... hahaha sorry couldn't resist.

 MajorTom11 wrote:
I'm not really sure what the point is here though? GW not releasing other language translated products for people who speak other languages sucks for them. Of course.

Well, that is the point surely? I suppose this being an English language forum there is a propensity for people to say, "Well, I speak English so I'm fine, LOL! Go and take your complaints elsewhere", but it's impossible not to sympathise. And, it's yet another example (seems to be at least one per month at the moment, with the various fan sites coming under the crosshairs again recently) of the company not giving a flying poo about the fans.

I know a lot of Europeans speak English, but there must be many more who don't or would prefer it in their native tongue anyway - these people will now have a large element of the hobby they enjoy denied to them. And, you have to think rather flippantly, considering the costs of translation and how small that figure must be compared to the turnover of the product. It seems like an incredibly questionable decision from any angle.

I was talking to a fellow wargaming fan in Korea about how ripe the market there would be for a company like GW. The culture, the large disposable income, the propensity towards elements of the wargaming hobby, I wasn't alone in thinking that both that country (and possibly China as well now) were an absolute potential gold mine for anyone willing to make an investment. But, now we get just another example of the company flying in ever smaller circles, following the well-trod path and with absolutely zero forward thinking. It's sad for the fans, it's sad for the industry as a whole, it's sad for GW..

 Pacific wrote:

Well, that is the point surely? I suppose this being an English language forum there is a propensity for people to say, "Well, I speak English so I'm fine, LOL! Go and take your complaints elsewhere", but it's impossible not to sympathise. And, it's yet another example (seems to be at least one per month at the moment, with the various fan sites coming under the crosshairs again recently) of the company not giving a flying poo about the fans.

GW are not clamping down on fansites. The largest fansite by far is dakkadakka, and they're fine as long as they clamp down on piracy/IP infringement. GW acted on radio40k because they read out the entire Space Marine codex before release. Imagine if yakface posted the entire points values and rules of the Space Marine codex in 40k General Discussion...clearly gw would be justified in acting on it.

Not that I'd disagree that gw don't care about their fans...though off the top of my head I can't think of any company whatsoever that "cares" about their customers.

xruslanx wrote:
Not that I'd disagree that gw don't care about their fans...though off the top of my head I can't think of any company whatsoever that "cares" about their customers.

Gripping Beast.
Musketeer Miniatures.
Warlord Games.