GW extend licence on LoTR and The Hobbit

February 19, 2011 by warzan

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So it's official, (if you ever doubted it would happen) GW have extended the licence on Lord of the Rings and taken up the licence on The Hobbit.

But what does this actually mean...

We'll I'm sure there are alot of nervous folks in GW including Mark Wells (Managing Director) who all remember too well what happened as a result of the Boom and Bust of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

And I would imagine that this time round things may well be a little different, if I had to place bets here's my predictions for 2012 (and beyond)...

1 ) The world ends in a cataclysmic polar shift caused by Nibiru (oops wrong blog!!)

2 ) GW will be planning for the Aftermath this time so expect big moves to move the new 'Hobbit' players into the other Systems (Fantasy/40K) as a matter of course. They want to make sure to sort the wheat from the chaff this time and get the other systems into the psyche of new players as much as possible (Presenting the entire Hobby).

3 ) Expect White Dwarf to be emblazoned with Hobbits, but no where near as much as last time. (Thank God!)

4 ) Expect amazing sculpts from Alan and Michael Perry - nuff said.

5 ) Be prepared to walk into your local GW store and be presented with new members of staff (they'll have to recruit) jumping into your line of sight asking what hobbit army you play while shoving boxes of hobbits into your arms, with the usual glee we have come to know and love. (they were trained in the school of ms word clippy - WARNING Not Safe For Work!)

6 ) Many of you will actually play LoTR and discover that is a great game.

7 ) Beasts of War will roll out big coverage dedicated to our little annoying fat hairy footed friends (thats Hobbits not GW Retail Staff by the way 😉 incase you wondered) because we're plastic whores and just love pimping the next big thing - and we missed the boat the last time and want any excuse to party!

8 ) GW will grow and the fruits of their labour will bring forth great wealth and employment and free minis for all who submit to her.

9 ) GW will forget the lessons of the past because buckets of cash are a great amnesiac, and they will run round like headless chickens when Warner Brothers run out of hobbit love, firing and restructuring and promising us all that they will never again neglect Warhammer 40K and Space Marines, we'll see a new (6th) edition of Warhammer 40K (probably with space hobbits, in power armour of course!) and a buch of codex releases for all the space marine chapters.

10 ) President Sarah Palin will disclose the Alien Presence and issue rifles to shoot at them (Meanwhile GW will try to tie up a licencing deal with the alien overlords - who disappointingly look like squats) Opps wrong blog again!!!!

11 ) We will continue our duality of adoration and disdain for our hobby, while convincing our wives and girlfriends to forget about paying rent and heating, as a new Landraider is the only path to happiness...

Let the fun Times Begin!!

Press release below...

WARNER BROS. CONSUMER PRODUCTS EXTENDS LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH GAMES WORKSHOP TO INCLUDE

"THE HOBBIT" AND "THE LORD OF THE RINGS"

BURBANK, Calif., Wednesday, February 9, 2011 - Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) announced today that it has extended its six-year licensing agreement with Games Workshop, enabling them exclusive, worldwide, all-language rights to produce tabletop games based on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" properties.

This extension allows Games Workshop, the largest tabletop fantasy and futuristic battle-games company, to expand on their arsenal of battle-games and model soldiers.  Under the agreement, Games Workshop will continue to develop and increase their offerings from  Middle-earth, the literary creation of J.R.R. Tolkien, allowing fans to realistically recreate action from the books and movies, based on one of the most thrilling stories ever told.

"Games Workshop has been a valuable partner of ours for a number of years and we look forward to continuing and expanding this successful relationship," said Karen McTier, Executive Vice President, Domestic Licensing and Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "Their products reflect the true spirit of 'The Lord of the Rings' franchise and, as anticipation builds for the release of 'The Hobbit,' the property's loyal fans will be excited for these richly inspired offerings."

"'The Lord of the Rings' is now firmly established as one of our core game systems, and the opportunity to expand it further with the upcoming film 'The Hobbit' is very exciting indeed, both for us and our hobbyists," said Mark Wells, CEO, Games Workshop.  "The fantasy worlds of Middle-earth, as realized in the original works of J.R.R. Tolkien and in Peter Jackson's groundbreaking film adaptations, make wonderful backgrounds and stories which Games Workshop faithfully reproduces through its range of miniatures and battle-games."

Games Workshop products are available for purchase through Games Workshop Hobby Centres and independent retailers throughout the globe.

So all thats left to be said is...What Hobbit army do you play?!?!?!

BoW Warren

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