Good news for battling British war games dealer Games Workshop. They’ve managed to secure an impressive six-year extension to their Lord of the Rings deal with Warner Bros.
The result? Games Workshop can continue to make tabletop games based on “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”. This is a global deal.
Needless to say, both parties were looking towards the near-ish future and The Hobbit movie. Here’s what Karen McTier, EVP, Domestic Licensing and Worldwide Marketing, at Warners’ Consumer Products had to say;
“Games Workshop has been a valuable partner of ours for a number of years and we look forward to continuing and expanding this successful relationship.
Their products reflect the true spirit of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ franchise and, as anticipation builds for the release of ‘The Hobbit,’ the property’s loyal fans will be excited for these richly inspired offerings.”
I bet she fancies a short job title too.
Games Workshop’s CEO, Mark Wells, didn’t beat around the bush in his statement to press.
“‘The Lord of the Rings’ is now firmly established as one of our core game systems, and the opportunity to expand it further with the upcoming film ‘The Hobbit’ is very exciting indeed, both for us and our hobbyists.
“The fantasy worlds of Middle-earth, as realized in the original works of J.R.R. Tolkien and in Peter Jackson’s groundbreaking film adaptations, make wonderful backgrounds and stories which Games Workshop faithfully reproduces through its range of miniatures and battle-games.”
Earlier this year Games Workshop posted a drop in profits. They blamed the drop on staff who couldn’t hope after a round of redundancies reduced headcount too far.
Anyone want to speculate on what might have happened to Games Workshop if they’d lost this license?
