Games Workshop new IP Guidelines: NO Fan Films, Games, Animations and more is not allowed anymore

littleclaude

Games Workshop new IP Guidelines: NO Fan Films, Games, Animations, Youtube, Artwork, MODS and more is not allowed anymore

I am very sad that Games Workshop's new rules are focusing on stopping their fans from making artwork. I fully understand they need to protect their IP and I fully understand reviewing 3D printing and making knock off merchandise and so on but stopping unofficial fan films, artwork, animations and games I feel is not a good move, what do you think?

I also find it extremely hypocritical for them to be launching a subscription service that relies on films created by fan animators to then ban all other fan animators from creating content.

New IP rules -https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Intellectual-Property-Guidelines 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRyk7ZPrHK0&t=1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmx321LG950

demigodssw

I feel a bit surprised and sad by their decision, considering how much free marketing fan films like astartes did for them

SnowInChina

i doubt this is even legal

poopipe

its almost definitely legal - GW are litigious as fuck, they'll have it all thoroughly worked out. 

I imagine this means they're planning on making their own movies/series etc. no point in going to the expense otherwise

littleclaude

Games Workshop appoints ex-Hasbro Studios exec to lead Warhammer entertainment, this might explain the new direction for the company. 
https://www.geeknative.com/129543/games-workshop-appoints-ex-hasbro-studios-exec-to-lead-warhammer-entertainment/

It will be interesting to see how the sales are affected when all the fan projects slow dry up. Personally, I always saw these projects as free advertising, it feels like such a strange 180 in direction from what the company was.  So many people I know got into Warhammer after making some artwork or an animation based on the W40K world due to various fan projects they came across.

I feel really very sad listing to the Youtuber's having to shut down I've listened to so many W40K lore videos while working it’s been like a background comfort over the years. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXljeaktnDA&t=59s

SnowInChina

what i mean is you can do satire for example which is covered by fair use, so i'm not so sure they can take down everything

but i also don't really understand it, the astartes mini series was awesome, theres a lot of lore videos that are awesome, this is the stuff that drives people to the franchise...

fdfxd2

...Guess that means I have to abaddon my galvanic rifle project,
feel so despoiled right now ( ;_;)

sacboi

What a shame!

Also it goes without saying that they've now alienated a portion if not all those new adherents too the 40k universe solely on the strength of Syama Pedersen's inspired effort which initially led to GW hiring him in the first place.

oraeles77

in my opinion GW plagarized loads of works of fiction to create their little universe. im surprised that since the early 90s when I was conned by their crap they have gone from strength to strenth.

fuck them and fuck their shareholders.

garciiia

i am not so much into their products because of the quality of their content and lack of products which actually interest me.
whenever i see a videogame with their ip's i am interested but have to figure out that it's like "diablo" but less, like "left4dead" but less,.. and so on. And that's why i am confused that they do not want the fans to help them anymore.
and it's a pretty big joke that they quit the fantasy line of figures to replace them with a mix of marvel and warcraft figures but do not want fans to use their style.. ok what?

littleclaude

MARKET REPORT: Sales of Warhammer figurines drops sharply, facing customer revolt

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-10145481/MARKET-REPORT-Games-Workshop-shares-drop-sharply.html

I kind of new this was going to happen, but even with or without a revolt, fan art is like free advertising so I could never understand the IP clampdown?

Clasic case of you reap what you sow.