The Old World was the setting for the entire Warhammer fantasy line-up and myriad spin-off games all they way from the game's introduction in 1983 to the apocalyptic "End Times" multimedia event of 2015, when culminated in the entire planet literally exploding. Subsequently a new setting coalesced from the ashes, paving the way for the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar product line.
Age of Sigmar did extremely well on release, although it's more recent performance has been variable. This may be down to the age of the line (coming up on five years) and Games Workshop's launch of a new edition of their traditionally better-selling Warhammer 40,000 science fantasy game in the meantime.
The timing of the original event was considered a bit odd, given a major new video game set in the Old Game was just about to be launched. Total War: Warhammer was released by Creative Assembly in 2015 and sold gangbusters, raising interest for the fantasy setting. Total War: Warhammer II followed in 2017 and also did extremely well, with a third game due for release in the next couple of years. It is probable that the success of the video games has played a role in the decision to resurrect the old setting.
Fine details about the decision have yet to be released. It has not yet been confirmed if the Age of Sigmar product line will be ending, with the Old World being recreated by the End Times event being undone, or if this will be a historical line set earlier in the timeline with the Age of Sigmar and Old World product lines coexisting.
Whatever the case, we have a while to get used to the idea: Warhammer: The Old World will not be launching until late 2022 or early 2023.
3 comments:
I'm not a regular Warhammer fan (although have been in the past), so maybe it's not surprising I did actually find this - surprising!
While Age of Sigmar has been criticised by the old and bold it's clearly worked. GW's revenues have done seriously well out of it and it's proven to be a much more accessible route into what can be a very expensive hobby.
Games Workshop never ceases to surprise people. I would pay more than the proverbial penny to get to know the WHY behind their decisions.
I can only speak for myself, I loved play Warhammer "Old World" Fantasy games on the PC. I also love playing W40K games. I only read Warhammer 40K novels so far and quite love many of them, but only few Warhammer Fantasy books. Well, that's an understatement, only the first two Gotrek & Felix books by William King.
Age of Sigmar? Never read a novel, never heard about a novel and Frontier's AoS RTS is the first video game for the setting I know of, and it is still in the making.
I am not sure if they can convert a lot of PC/console players to painting miniatures. Even if Henry Cavill does it.
The "Old World" Setting will return, but it will be a new game. If people can use their old armies, I highly doubt that. Rules will likely be more like those of AoS, if not the same.
They are releasing competing products. So I expect that people can use AoS miniatures in the upcoming "new" Old World. Otherwise some might be very angry. Just like you can apparently use some Warhammer 40K Space Marines in AoS as well.
AoS as gigantic testbed for new ideas? But what will be its fate once Warhammer Old World 2.0 releases. I have a gut feeling they will merge the miniatures back into the Old World and we will have another kind of "MERGEAGEDDON" for AoS...
I am more into W40K, reading and video games only. I hope GW spares 40K the antics of the fantasy line....!
Roy Hodgson will be happy.
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