This article discusses and speculates on the upcoming release schedule for Warhammer, based on previous releases from Games Workshop and current news and rumours.
So the Big Summer Preview is over. We had our speculation here, and it’s fair to say we got a few things right. Now that the preview is over, we have a better idea of where the Games Workshop releases are heading. For up-to-date tracking, check here. For an in-depth analysis, read on below.
Warhammer 40,000
We had new terrain and the typical releases we’d expect around a new edition, like the starter sets. Interestingly, they seem to have moved away from the three levels of starter set to only an “ultimate” and an “intro” one. The intro set even includes paint this time, which feels like a great addition for new players who want everything they need to start in one box. They’ve also brought in “combat patrols” for the starter set units, which also include paint. I’d expect most of this to be released within the next few weeks to capitalise on the start of the edition, especially with summer holidays coming up to get new kids into Warhammer.
Going forward, we know we’ll get the Ork codex first, likely in Orktober, followed shortly by the Space Marines. We still have previews of the new Orks and Space Marines to come with the Death Mire campaign. After that, I would expect a few more codexes before the end of the year. GW seem to be releasing battleforces more often than usual, but I’d still expect several around Christmas.
Age of Sigmar
We guessed Ogors, and we got Ogors, even if it was only the initial wave. We’ve only just had the Slaanesh Age of Sigmar release, so we might be waiting a little while for this.
Horus Heresy
Another successful guess with the Custodes, but nothing else. With this preview, that means the only non-Legends, non-super-heavy model left in resin is the Terminators. I’d expect these further down the line, possibly with a new tribute model too. As for the rest of the range, nothing else has changed from our speculation here. With the next journal, we are getting core rules for Daemons of Tzeentch, so it’s possible we might get a larger Daemons of the Ruinstorm release at some point. The Custodes box was mentioned to come “later in the year”, so I wouldn’t expect this one any time soon.
Warhammer The Old World
Again, our guesses were right about the dragon, core set, and edition 1.5, most of which is up for preorder next week. It’s interesting that Old World has gone this route rather than a complete edition refresh, especially as Necromunda is getting an edition change. We’ll have to see if it continues. In terms of future releases, there’s still no word on Kislev, and GW seems to be refreshing armies to be distinct from their Age of Sigmar equivalents, as with the new Chaos Warriors. I think anyone waiting for legacy armies to come back is going to be waiting a while especially with rumours of a Tomb Kings refresh.
Kill Team
So we got a new box which does not appear to be the next season, so it seems we’ve had five boxes this season but still only eight teams. This new box and the previous one have both been one team and NPOs. Could this be the way they handle Kill Team releases going forward? The new boxes do always sell out, so if that continues, financially it could work out for Games Workshop, but it does seem worse for the game and the players. I’d expect the new box very soon, if they were going to space out the release between it and the next season box, which we expect in September.
Necromunda
There is a new edition, along with a starter set, though the new Goliath and Escher models are additions rather than replacements. I know some people aren’t happy about the idea of a new edition, but we’ll have to wait and see. I’d expect this box soon too, as players will be waiting for the new edition instead of jumping in now. As for future releases, I’d guess each gang will get a smaller alternative gang option, like the Goliath, Escher, and Van Saar have had before.
Blood Bowl
This had a new game mode and also a lot of resin to plastic, which further cements the idea that GW are moving fast away from resin, especially for smaller models.
Legions Imperialis
There were some new titan weapons announced. These honestly seem more of a Titanicus release than Legions Imperialis, and it’s hard to say how much longer the game will continue to receive support.
Final word
So largely, the preview was as we expected, with a few interesting developments. Firstly, GW’s move away from three-tier starter sets likely means we can expect the same change with the next Age of Sigmar edition. Second is the continued move away from resin, with no resin models announced and Heresy and Blood Bowl receiving plastic versions of resin models. And finally, a mixed picture of Games Workshop’s edition change plans: a new edition of Necromunda, but only a 1.5 for Old World. We know that 40k, AoS, and 30k are all on three-year edition cycles, so there is one every year. Kill Team is also on a three-year cycle, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the next change is big or small. We also have games like Legions Imperialis and Titanicus that have no edition-change plans. I would’ve also put Necromunda in that list, as the last edition was 2017, but now it’s getting one. Will it now also be on a three-year cycle? Or will it be almost ten years again until they change it?