Games Workshop Group PLC[1] (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000.
Founded in 1975 by John Peake, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson, Games Workshop was originally a manufacturer of wooden boards for games including backgammon, mancala, nine men's morris and Go. It later became an importer of the U.S. role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and then a publisher of wargames and role-playing games in its own right, expanding from a bedroom mail-order company in the process. It expanded into Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia in the early 1990s. All UK-based operations were relocated to the current headquarters in Lenton, Nottingham in 1997.
It started promoting games associated with The Lord of the Rings film trilogy in 2001. It also owns Forge World (which makes complementary specialist resin miniatures and conversion kits). It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has been a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index since 20 December 2024.[3]
History
Early years
Founded in 1975 at 15 Bolingbroke Road, London by John Peake, Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson (not to be confused with U.S. game designer Steve Jackson), Games Workshop was originally a manufacturer of wooden boards for games including backgammon, mancala, nine men's morris, and Go.[4] It later became an importer of the U.S. role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and then a publisher of wargames and role-playing games in its own right, expanding from a bedroom mail-order company in the process.[5]
In order to promote their business and postal games, create a games club, and provide an alternative source for games news, the newsletter Owl and Weasel[6] was founded in February 1975. This was superseded in June 1977 by White Dwarf.[7]
Operations
Licensing
Alongside the UK publishing rights to several American role-playing games in the 1980s (including Call of Cthulhu, Runequest[35] and Middle-earth Role Playing,[36]) Games Workshop also secured the rights to produce miniatures or games for several classic British science fiction properties such as Doctor Who[37][38] and several characters from 2000 AD including Rogue Trooper and Judge Dredd.[39] Alongside the rights to reprint Iron Crown Enterprises
Miniature games
Games Workshop previously produced miniature figures via an associated, originally independent, company called Citadel Miniatures while the main company concentrated on retail. The distinction between the two blurred after Games Workshop stores ceased to sell retail products by other manufacturers, and Citadel was effectively merged back into Games Workshop.[49]
Warhammer brand acrylic paints
Games Workshop produces a line of acrylic paints for painting miniatures, under the Warhammer Colour name, previously Citadel Colour.[101] At the end of March 2012 the company announced a new range of over 145 colours made in the UK.[102] The current Warhammer Colour paint types are:[103]
Contrast paints were added to the Games Workshop paint range in 2019, promoted as speeding up the painting process for players. The existing range of paints was also expanded and reorganised when Contrast was released,[104] and branding changed from Citadel to Citadel Colour. The previously available Glaze line of paints was discontinued, replaced with the introduction of the Air Clear paints, the previously available Edge line of paints were combined into the Layer line, with some colours also being renamed, and the previously separate Texture line of paints was combined into the Technical line.[105]
Role-playing games
Several of the miniatures games (e.g. Inquisitor) involve a role-playing element; however, Games Workshop has, in the past, published role-playing games set within the Warhammer universe. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay was first published in 1986; a second edition appeared in 2005 published by Black Industries, part of GW's fiction imprint BL Publishing. In 2018 a 4th edition was published by Cubicle 7.[106]
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, the first of three proposed role-playing games set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, was released in late January 2008 and sold out almost immediately. In September 2008 production was transferred to Fantasy Flight Games.[107]
Fantasy Flight Games subsequently published four other roleplaying games; Rogue Trader, Deathwatch, Black Crusade, and Only War, set in the same Warhammer 40,000 universe and employing similar mechanics.[108]
Board games
Games Workshop had a strong history in boardgames development, alongside the miniatures and RPGs. Several may have had roleplaying elements, or had miniatures included or produced. Spacefarers released in 1981 was one of these board games with a set of miniature rules especially designed for use with Citadel Miniatures' figures.[117]
Licensing for an undisclosed proportion of Games Workshop's back catalogue of board games was transferred to Fantasy Flight Games as part of the same transaction which included Black Library's Role Playing Games. Fantasy Flight has republished revised editions of a number of these games. At the time of the announcement, Black Library had only one boardgame in print, the 4th Edition of "Talisman". Fantasy Flight subsequently released revised editions of Talisman and of other former Games Workshop boardgames. On 9 September 2016, Fantasy Flight Games announced the termination of its licensing agreement with Games Workshop.[118]
Games Workshop currently has several standalone board games in production.[119]
Video games
Trading card games (TCGs)
Games Workshop released a trading card game (TCG) in 2018 based on the Age of Sigmar universe called Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Champions Trading Card Game.[162]
Events
There were yearly Games Day events held by Games Workshop which was started in 1975, at Seymour Hall, London on 20 December 1975.[163] It included the Golden Demon painting competition, news stands, sales stands, and tables to play on. In 2014 it was replaced by 'Warhammer Fest', similar but with additions such as demonstration pods and seminars.[164]
Worldwide campaigns
Games Workshop has run numerous Worldwide Campaigns for its three core game systems. In each campaign, players are invited to submit the results of games played within a certain time period.[165]
Each Warhammer campaign has had a new codex published with the rules for special characters or "incomplete" army lists. Below are listed the Games Workshop Worldwide Campaigns (with the campaign's fictional universe setting in parentheses):
These Campaigns were run to promote its miniature wargames, and attracted interest in the hobby, particularly at gaming clubs, Hobby Centres and independent stockists.
Magazines
Games Workshop's has published the White Dwarf magazine since 1977 and has over 500 issues.[7] Games Workshop also published Fanatic Magazine in support of their Specialist Games range.[179] After the cancellation of Fanatic Magazine, an electronic version, known as "Fanatic Online" was published from Games Workshop's Specialist Games website.[180]
For a brief period in the mid-1980s GW took over publication of the Fighting Fantasy magazine Warlock from Puffin Books who had produced the first 5 issues. The magazine turned into a general introductory gaming magazine but was discontinued after issue 13.[181]
There was also a fortnightly series called "Battle Games in Middle Earth", which came with a single or several free Lord of the Rings SBG miniatures. Though the miniatures were made by Games Workshop, the magazine itself was written by SGS (part of Games Workshop) and published by De Agostini
Spots the Space Marine trademark complaint
Games Workshop issued a trademark complaint against retailer Amazon, specifically relating to the novel Spots the Space Marine, claiming it violated their European 'space marine' trademark.[183][184] Commentators such as Cory Doctorow[185] and digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation,[186] questioned the right of Games Workshop to trademark the term.[187] On 8 February 2013, Spots the Space Marine reappeared on Amazon. Games Workshop has issued no further legal action.[188]
Other media
Games Workshop illustrators also published artbooks covering parts of their commissioned work for the company. These include Adrian Smith, Ian Miller and John Blanche.[189]
Short fiction
From 1997 to 2005, Black Library published INFERNO!, a magazine of short stories, artwork, and other features set in the various fictional universes of Games Workshop, and regularly featuring that of Warhammer 40,000.[190] Since 2010, Black Library has produced a monthly eBook called "Hammer and Bolter," with the focus on short stories set in the different Games Workshop universes.[191]
Novels
Comics and graphic novels
Further reading
External links
References
- GAMES WORKSHOP GROUP PLC overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk, retrieved 2025-09-27^
- Annual Results 2025 Games Workshop, retrieved 27 January 2026^
- FTSE UK Index Series – Quarterly Review December 2024