Games Workshop is the biggest war games miniature manufacturer in the world.
It employs more than 1,500 people at its factory and headquarters in Lenton, producing millions of war games figures every year, alongside a plethora of rulesets, specialist paints, and other paraphernalia for its flagship Warhammer lines.
Over the last 12 months, the company has seen further astounding success. In December, it made its debut on the FTSE 100 index, which comprises the 100 most valuable companies listed in London. It is valued at just under £4.3 billion – putting it slightly ahead of EasyJet.
“The average man on the street doesn’t know about Games Workshop. But those who do, love it and spend a lot of money on it,” says Ronnie Renton, who was Games Workshop’s Global Marketing Director for 15 years before setting up Mantic Games.
“We truly have a global hidden champion,” he adds, referring to the company’s relatively low-key presence in the city beyond the gates of its sprawling Willow Road headquarters, factory, and visitor centre.
After a burst of speed prompted by hobbyists hunkering down during the pandemic, Games Workshop shows no signs of slowing.
Nottingham City Council recently granted it planning permission for a new £9 million factory in the city. Chief Executive Kevin Rountree was named Sunday Times Business Person of the Year for 2024.
But the success is no mystery to former bosses and fans of the epic fantasy worlds created around the company’s tabletop games. The creativity and innovation behind Games Workshop started decades before its recent boom. Social media, TV shows, and marketing strategies have all enabled the company to take its reach global, bringing it to new audiences and making it a commercial success.
“There was an explosion of creativity, ambition, and innovation in the 90s and 2000s,” Ronnie adds. “Social media, computer game licences, and TV shows brought this to a new audience. It really put the company on the trajectory it is on now.”
It’s also now ‘cool’ to be a gamer, explains Ronnie. The stigma around sci-fi and fantasy is long gone, and war games are gaining popularity with younger crowds – all thanks to the internet.
“Computer games over the last 20 years have made sci-fi and fantasy far more mainstream,” Ronnie says. “When I was a kid, no one knew about Lord of the Rings. And you were a bit of a geek for doing so. Fast forward to now, everyone knows about it. It doesn’t have the stigma now that it did when I was growing up. Back then, war games were a very ‘old man’ hobby. That has been left behind.”
It’s not just social media that’s getting young people engaged. It’s a “generational” rite of passage, explains John Stallard, who worked for Games Workshop for 24 years before setting up Warlord Games, also based in Lenton.
“War games are now becoming mainstream,” John adds. “Mums and dads who used to play it many years ago are getting their kids into it. It was a bit eccentric to play tabletop games in the past. Geekdom is so normal now. In the old days, you might be seen as a bit odd. Now everyone does it.”
Rountree said it was “exciting times” for the business in its annual report, published last summer.
He said in the report: “After a record year, we will continue to focus on the things in our control. We have a very clear strategy, which remains unchanged, a detailed operational plan for the year ahead, and a great team to deliver it. I wish to thank our staff, customers, trade accounts, and broader stakeholders for their ongoing support. Exciting times.”
Nottinghamshire has long been known as the lead belt, due to the number of war games manufacturers based in the city and county – many of which have skilled former ‘GW’ staff on the books – although many lines are now made from plastic or resin, as opposed to metal. Besides Mantic and Warlord, a variety of historical and fantasy war games firms are spread across Nottinghamshire, including Perry Miniatures, Footsore Miniatures, Wargames Foundry, Bad Squiddo Games, and North Star Military Figures.
Ronnie praised Games Workshop as a trailblazer in the industry. “They created a war gaming industry, paving the way for other manufacturers to set up our companies here,” he said.
“There are great sculptors around who worked for Games Workshop for decades. When I set up my company, I could hire these fantastic professionals in the industry. Nottingham is truly the Silicon Valley for war games.”
