Warhammer price increase brings the Imperium against its most hated foe - inflation

You’ve probably noticed the cost of groceries, home goods and just about everything else rising over the past couple of years, with a decidedly sharp upturn throughout the last six months. Surely boxes of plastic and resin Warhammer miniatures are immune to this trend, right? Unfortunately, Games Workshop has announced another price increase to its wargame lines effective in June.

The UK-based producer of Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar outlined the incremental price increase in a recent post to their Warhammer Community page, likening the sticker kicker to the “unfortunate truth” that food, transportation and raw materials keep getting more expensive. It seems a little disingenuous to categorize Space Marines alongside actual living necessities such as groceries and rent, especially given the hobby’s reputation for its already exorbitant cost to play.

Beginning June 10th, Games Workshop will increase the price of select boxes sold within physical Warhammer stores and from its official website. This will likely trickle down into local hobby shops, who already survive on razor thin margins and can’t eat the difference. The company offered a figure of 3% to 5% increase, which would raise the cost of a $50 to $52 (or £30 to £31.50, and €40 to €41). Auxiliary products, such as paint pots and sets, Black Library books and issues of White Dwarf magazine will not change their price. If you live in Sweden or Norway, this increase will land more in the 8% and 14% range.

“We understand that no one likes a price rise and we’ve done our best to keep prices down. We’re giving you a heads-up now so that you have plenty of time to take advantage of current prices,” the post reads. Warhammer fans are likely familiar with this annual occurrence. Games Workshop similarly hiked up the price of plastic miniatures and spray paint by 6% in 2023 (citing nearly the same economic reasons as this year) and 5% in 2022. Games Workshop updated the cost for a significant portion of boxes and products in 2020, claiming they had been due for an increase for years.

Some might scoff at players worried about a $2 increase to a box of Tyranids or Ork Boyz, but it’s worth remembering that global inflation affects everything. If someone’s rent, grocery needs and energy bill all rise by 3% to 5% at the same time, it becomes much easier to decimate that individual’s leftover money for hobbies and leisure. And that’s without addressing the distressing fact that pay for most jobs has not kept up with inflation for decades. Much like your LGS, everyone is forced to do more with less.

Games Workshop, on the other hand, posted £23 million more in revenue for 2023 than it did in 2022 and pooled £94 million in profit across last year. That windfall meant the company paid out a £2,500 cash bonus to all employees, but it also demonstrates its capacity for eating some of the rising costs to produce and distribute its miniature games. But that’s capitalism - feigning regret as the price of doing business is passed to a consumer base already stretched too thin.