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Games Workshop and Barnes & Noble?

During my excursions into holiday shopping this year, I noticed that Barnes and Noble is starting to carry a myriad of Games Workshop stuff.
So far I've seen:

Blood Bowl Boxed Set
Blood Bowl Team Kits
Space Marine: Adventures Board Game
Space Marine: Adventures Board Game mission packs
StormVault Board Game
Space Marine Blind Box figures

Did I miss something? Did Games Workshop Partner with Barnes and Noble?
What is the strategy behind this? The boxed games are not traditional miniature intro sets, but more like the D&D miniatures board games that WOTC has put out.

Is this a positive thing, or could this harm smaller game stores just starting to carry GW products if the partnership between B&N and GW grows?

It just took my by surprise to see all that stuff there...

Thank you all!

It’s a different strategy for GW. They are trying to enter the modern board game market, which is huge and bustling. I don’t think you’ll see WH40k starters or unit boxes that would benefit wargamers in Barnes and Noble this time around, but rather some more affordable boxes that introduce the setting and miniatures to board gamers.

During 4th edition, Barnes and Noble carried Battle for Macragge and a bunch of 40k kits at normal (high) prices. For example, they had boxes of spinny terminators and old Space Hulk genestealers at the same price as new termies and genies, $50 and $30! They didn’t sell until they were clearanced at 75% off. (I had some boxes on hold for a week, and they were $1 each when I came back to buy them.) That was a bad arrangement for both companies, so I doubt we’ll see them make that mistKe again.

It's been mentioned a few times on the Warhammer Community site. They're doing special stuff for the big North American stores (and some in Germany IIRC) to get a slice of the board game market (and increase their exposure).

I've bought a bunch of the Heroes Terminator models lately from B&N. Been meaning to pick up labrynth of the necrons since it has the series 1 heroes not released in blindbox(for USA). I like that they're doing stuff like this. I really like the models not just for the stock poses but the conversion/kitbashing opportunities they bring.

GW is doing a lot more board games, but also using them and licences to basically increase their earnings, but also to try and market their game to new and related markets. Basically a lot of these products are not only there to turn a profit with the GW brand, but also to get people who might only ever play boardgames to consider playing a wargame.

As others have said, you are not going to see Age Of Sigmar or 40K core products.

I have recently been in the US and was happy for the chance to pick up Combat Arena which gave me the new explorer figures that were only available as part of the Escalation box set for Blackstone Fortress in the UK. I even picked up a discount in store.

Unfortunately there were none of the other little 40K games that were Barnes and Noble exclusives with the Space Marine Heroes figures in.

 Overread wrote:
GW is doing a lot more board games, but also using them and licences to basically increase their earnings, but also to try and market their game to new and related markets. Basically a lot of these products are not only there to turn a profit with the GW brand, but also to get people who might only ever play boardgames to consider playing a wargame.

Pretty much this.

Small, affordable self contained games. Kind of like Hero Quest in idea, if not scope. A way to get miniature wargaming onto a broader range of shelves than just GW and FLGS.

It’s also worth noting that in their annual report, GW explicitly said they planned to expand further in the USA and Germany. Both of which have territory exclusive games, such as Space Marine Adventures and the mini-Blood Bowl.

It could be that GW are using Barnes & Noble to better gauge interest and potential market in various locales, then open a new Warhammer Store to better serve it?

 HunterEste wrote:
Games Workshop and Barnes & Noble?

During my excursions into holiday shopping this year, I noticed that Barnes and Noble is starting to carry a myriad of Games Workshop stuff.
So far I've seen:

Blood Bowl Boxed Set
Blood Bowl Team Kits
Space Marine: Adventures Board Game
Space Marine: Adventures Board Game mission packs
StormVault Board Game
Space Marine Blind Box figures

Did I miss something? Did Games Workshop Partner with Barnes and Noble?
What is the strategy behind this? The boxed games are not traditional miniature intro sets, but more like the D&D miniatures board games that WOTC has put out.

Is this a positive thing, or could this harm smaller game stores just starting to carry GW products if the partnership between B&N and GW grows?

It just took my by surprise to see all that stuff there...

Thank you all!

Those items you mentioned are small time potatoes. They also have a good selection of X wing, and the other FFG games as well. The Boardgame market is what they are focusing on, that and those silly FUNCO soulless kewpie dolls.

Honestly, i'm getting boxes of those collection 2 blood angels and ones and twos X wing. BBC shows and good movies to... By order of the Peaky !@#$ing Blinders.