Games Workshop co-founder Sir Ian Livingstone has expressed shock by the recent valuation of the iconic British Warhammer company. After struggling to get the company started in the 1970s, the tabletop company is now worth over £6 billion due to the success of its beloved IPs.
Livingstone, who co-founded the iconic tabletop company in 1975 alongside John Peak and Steve Jackson, recently spoke to The Guardian to discuss the company’s rise into one of Britain’s largest earners.
In the report, The Guardian explained that the company is now worth £6 billion with rising revenue. Recently, the company revealed its best-selling army set ever, and the studio is continuing to succeed even with its blanket ban on generative AI. (Take note, others.)
“Games Workshop was founded by gamers for gamers,” Livingstone told the outlet. “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.”
Following up on the article’s publication via LinkedIn, Livingstone explained that it’s “crazy” to see the sheer popularity of the Warhammer company today. As one of the initial founders who struggled to get the company off the ground, it’s long-running popularity is almost unfeasible.
“Having to sleep in a van because we weren’t able to get a £10k bank loan for Games Workshop when we founded the company in the 1970s seems a bit crazy now that it’s worth £6 Billion!” the co-founder said.
While Warhammer 40,000 and other Games Workshop titles have always been popular enough, the last decade has caused the former to erupt in popularity. The company itself has associated its recent boom in popularity with well-made video game adaptations, largely Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
At the time of writing, there are a number of 40K games in development, including this year’s upcoming Dawn of War 4. Additionally, Creative Assembly is working on the long-awaited Total War: Warhammer 40,000 while Saber Interactive works on Space Marine 3, which isn’t expected to be released for a few years.
Alongside the prominent video game adaptations, Warhammer is set to get its introduction into the mainstream with an upcoming Amazon Prime TV series. Still without a release date, the upcoming series is being helmed by Man of Steel star Henry Cavill and aims to be as faithful as possible to the expansive universe of the grimdark sci-fi game.
