Change of mindset? Mock up GW product, shown at Nuremberg.

[gauntlet]

You may have seen that GW had a display at Nuremberg toy fair showing their idea for a product which does not yet exist, intended for release Nov 2016.

see a description it here www.belloflostsouls.net/2016/01/breaking-gw-is-planning-on-moving-into.html
(not ment to be click bait for BOLS, but it saves time describing it myself.)

Ignore the content of the product, I am more interested in the idea that GW is soliciting feedback.

Why would they display a non existing product other than to seek feedback?
It looks like something very speculative, that they knocked up in a day, from an old sprues bin. It's a very different and open approach compared to their super secretive development process over the past five years.

What insight does it give us about the change of management mindset at GW?

[gauntlet]

May be a kind Moderator could move this thread to the board: Other GW stuff.

[blackrainbow]

If we assume their marketing strategy is the entry level buy-in to the hobby, this is a great move. They stream-line the intro, easing the know-how stuff like primer, good prep-work, or even having to assemble things from a wide variety of options on a sprue. They make it more like the classic hobby, cool looking cars or planes, or armored space guy fighting wild space orc. This gets kids, or at least new customers in the door. Then maybe they expand a bit, and from there you either have a long-term customer (good for GW), or you have someone that bought-in some products (good for GW).

TLDR, it's a good marketing move.

[gauntlet]

Jan 28, 2016 20:02:53 GMT blackrainbow said:

TLDR, it's a good marketing move.

No argument about the product idea, if it becomes real.
What I'm interested in is the GW thoughts behind exposing this idea to the community before it's form is finalized.

Imagine a world where this happened during development of Age of Sigmar.

[krakenfiend]

I moved this over to the Other games workshop board.

krakenfiend

[gauntlet]

Jan 28, 2016 20:32:16 GMT gauntlet said:

Jan 28, 2016 20:02:53 GMT blackrainbow said:

TLDR, it's a good marketing move.

No argument about the product idea, if it becomes real.
What I'm interested in is the GW thoughts behind exposing this idea to the community before it's form is finalized.

Imagine a world where this happened t o development of Age of Sigmar.

Forget Age of Sigmar, it's loaded with too much sentiment and distracts from the main point.

Have GW changed and want feedback in the early stages of product development?

[bolk]

Jan 28, 2016 20:44:55 GMT gauntlet said:

Jan 28, 2016 20:32:16 GMT gauntlet said:

No argument about the product idea, if it becomes real.
What I'm interested in is the GW thoughts behind exposing this idea to the community before it's form is finalized.

Imagine a world where this happened t o development of Age of Sigmar.

Forget Age of Sigmar, it's loaded with too much sentiment and distracts from the main point.

Have GW changed and want feedback in the early stages of product development?

If that`s the case, where are we supposed to even leave feedback then? Last I checked they still don`t let people comment on their sites.

[WestRider]

They're looking for feedback from retail chains, not customers. That's still quite a change.

Kind of reminds me of back in the day when they partnered with Milton Bradley and you could get HeroQuest and all in department stores and such.

Honestly, having their product available in places like Target or WalMart or whatever would do amazing things for their brand visibility.

[blackrainbow]

If they get in with the main-stream stores, and with the following new players... might we hope they solicit feedback or take input or, heavens forbid, play test decently? Oh my.

[gauntlet]

I was hoping someone in the know would pipe up, saying,

This is not the first time, I remember in year x I was part of MB Games and they approached us for feedback and collaboration. The key staff at GW changing current attitudes are xyz. They want to do...

[cypheon]

At their current price points those kits will never leave the aisle at a walmart or target until the retailers put them on cleaance and blacklist gw as a supplier. Also gw will flip their $#!7 the second a vice pres. says "75% on black friday".

Not to mention the glaringly obvious.... there is a reason you don't see model kits other than star wars inside big box retailers. It does not sell fast enough to bother. Add GWs pricing to a slow moving niche market and you'll see retailers mailing product back to gw so they can put the shelf space to better use.


edit to add:

Most product in the toys and hobby department is either a very well established kids brand (crayola, play doh), or attached to a cartoon, kids show, or movie (star wars, transformers).   unless they license their product out to someone else (lego if they want it in the toy aisle, crayola if they want it in the arts aisle)... no one will see anything on those boxes to attach recognition to.   if a parent doesn't recognize the brand, or the title ("warhammer 40,000" is not a popular show on nick, disney, or CN), they don't buy it for little timmy.   so if GW wants this to be taken seriously.... which network are they shopping the after school cartoon to?

[gauntlet]

Maybe they could find some competent programmers, who love GW IP and understand the fanbase to produce a record breaking sci-fi realtime strategy PC game, that can become a world wide phenomenon... and GW management not f* it up. Oops!

[cypheon]

Feb 6, 2016 20:58:12 GMT gauntlet said:

Maybe they could find some competent programmers, who love GW IP and understand the fanbase to produce a record breaking sci-fi realtime strategy PC game, that can become a world wide phenomenon... and GW management not f* it up. Oops!

well... to be fair....

Warhammer: Age of Reckoning was ruined by EA not understanding that a good mmo takes more than 6 months to make.