A gaming success story: how Warhammer became one of Britain's biggest companies

Summary

You don’t need to spend your weekends organising a face-off between bloodthirsty orcs and elves to have heard of the game Warhammer.So popular is the fantasy game that its parent company Games Workshop is valued at a staggering £6bn and is almost ever-present on British high streets.The fact a niche interest game invented by self-confessed geeks has become a huge global business is a story almost as unbelievable as those played out on its customers’ kitchen tables.Games Workshop started as a mail order board games company run by three friends from their flat, but is now an FTSE 100 darling, which has grown 10.9% in revenues over the past six months thanks to soaring worldwide demand for its iconic plastic models.Ian Livingstone, co-founder Games Workshop. Photograph: Oliver McNeilAt a time when the high street is struggling and online gaming is booming, what is the secret to the table top gaming company’s enduring appeal?“Games Workshop was founded by gamers for gamers,” said Sir Ian Livingstone, who co-founded the company alongside Steve Jackson and John Peake in 1975 and sold his shares in 1991.“Today, all types of gaming, both analogue and digital, have become mainstream in what has become a multi-billion-pound-a-year entertainment industry. There has been a cultural shift and it is now cool to be a gamer, especially since a lot of celebrities proudly admit they are gamers.”He cited as examples Henry Cavill, the Superman star who has been voted sexiest man in the world, and is slated to star in the upcoming Amazon-produced Warhammer film and TV series. Other famous fans include Ed Sheeran and Fast & Furious actor Vin Diesel.Warhammer collectors build large forces of miniature plastic gaming models, which can cost more than £100 each. Each model is made up of intricate pieces, from a handful to over a hundred parts, which they glue together and paint., which they glue together and paint. These are used to play out strategic clashes on a tabletop battlefield at hom...