1. Spent the weekend down the Games Workshop rabbit hole. It was loads of fun and a great case study for anyone keen to learn about IP turnarounds in this space. The annual reports across the years provide loads of learning as you can see the evolution of thinking..
- 2010 Kirby (Chairman): "That will not surprise those of you who follow the fortunes of computer games companies. It seems they are going through another phase of change. From
Comment: seems like Kirby doesn't think about the platform potential of the IP enough. Did little to note how games can help reinforce Warhammer IP
- 2010 Wells (CEO): "We make things, we are a manufacturer, not a retailer. Hobby centers are
Comment: This is
- 2010 Wells (CEO): "People getting excited about opportunity to use Warhammer IP to generate
Comment: Was hoping he’d talk about how this piece fits into the whole IP flywheel. However, the fact he talks about how this is run as a separate business unit so as to not distract Hobby business shows that he doesn’t understand how royalty business
- 2010 Wells (CEO): "Focus on restoring LFL growth in Hobby center: 1. Sales training. 2. Implementing performance related pay. 3. IP relaunch to create excitement"
Comment: IP relaunch is the
Fast forward to 2015 when
- 2015 Rountree: "Rebrand our stores Warhammer from Games Workshop, it is what our customers call us...Relaunched Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, simplified rules, made entry barrier lower for new players"
Comment: lots of
- 2018 Rountree: [added a brand discussion section] "The Warhammer settings are incredibly rich and evocative backdrops. They’re populated by more than three decades of fantastical characters and comprise of thousands of exciting narratives. Going forward, we want to make
Comments: Compare how the language around IP