If you didn’t catch the news today was the big reveal for Warhammer+, which is Games Workshop’s new subscription service that promises to provide a huge amount of Warhammer content for a small fee. I got to watch the stream today and hope to give you the highlights at a glance so that you can decide if this is something that may be for you.
The Lowdown
The biggest issue at hand with any streaming service is value. Warhammer+ will run you $5.99 a month or $59.99 for a year subscription. What exactly is coming with that?
- Animated Shows – For those of you that want to be steeped in the lore and stories of your favorite 40k and Age of Sigmar characters the animated shows seem to be the avenue on which they plan to deliver. Today’s announcements specifically went into Hammer and Bolter (an anthology series) and Blood Angels (focusing on 40K). Games Workshop has a huge slate that they plan to release on top of these as well.
- Shows – I think this is where the streaming will shine. Warhammer+ is set to include shows that will showcase different battle reports, advanced painting techniques, and lore deep dives.
- Mobile Apps – This is something I use heavily when playing Age of Sigmar. The Warhammer+ subscription will come with access to the features on the mobile apps. Whether you use the 40k app or the current Azyr army builder in the Age of Sigmar app you will get access to these included in your subscription. Games Workshop also advised that a brand-new app has been developed for the launch of Age of Sigmar 3.0.
- Event Extras – If you get to go to an official Games Workshop event your subscription to Warhammer+ will help you out there as well. You will be able to receive access to exclusive merch as well as express queue lines for different events.
- Archive – The Archive you get access to with your subscription will have a massive number of older PDFs for Black Library books, rules supplements, and White Dwarf magazines. The Archive should generally be updated weekly as the service continues.
- Miniatures – Warhammer+ subscribers will also have access to exclusive miniature sculpts each year. The Vindicare Assassin and the Orruk Megaboss are the two that will be currently featured. If you sign up on day 1 you will even get early access to these minis.
My Takeaway
Honestly, there was a lot to take in during the announcement. I love the idea of Games Workshop doing some official battle reports, painting lessons, and lore deep dives. Unfortunately, I will have to wait and see if I am excited about the shows. Right now, it seems hyper-focused on 40K, which is great, but it would have been nice to give both game lines some time to shine in the previews. I will heavily use the app and archive to build my army list and read up on the lore. I also think the exclusive miniature sculpts are a huge plus since they are just alternate models for units already released and don’t have exclusive rules, which could be a negative for some hobbyist.
Overall, for most Warhammer players, this is a great value and I fully intend to sign up.
Warhammer + launches on August 25th, so mark your calendars!
