At the end of 2019 I made some predictions about the coming GW release schedule. Let’s see how well I did…
• Fulgrim is the only Primarch to get a plastic model.
Damn, started off on a dud note
• Fabius Bile and Noise Marines
Fabius Bile arrived but I picked the wrong game system for the Slaanesh releases
• 9th Edition 40k introducing living spells and changes to detachments.
Nailed it, no living spells but there were changes to the psychic phase instead
• A large plastic C’Tan to be released alongside…
• …Necrons in the 9th edition boxed set with a…
• …Female (female looking robot) Necron Lord (Necron Queen) and/ or squad of femalish Necrons.
• More metallic spray paints like copper and grey knights steel.
These are all one giant prediction and apart from female looking Necrons I got it spot on
• Primaris speeder/bikes as per the blurry shot (confirmed to be an accidental leak rather than a planned one).
It was astonishing that people though the leaked photo was fake, but people refusing the believe their own eyes has been a theme for the last few years
• New Wood Elf AoS faction.
I should have said “High”, I’m giving myself half a point for this one
• Another Stormcast Chamber gets opened.
Don’t know why I made this prediction, the new AOS boxed set should be 2021
• Chaos Dwarfs to get the full Sisters of Battle style re-release starting with sketches (assuming they haven’t already gone through this phase and are ready to drop).
When a document naming “Sons of Behemat” leaked I though I had scored a hole in one, sadly it was not to be
• More boxed sets like Blood of the Phoenix and Aether War. My guesses are Wood Elves vs Khorne, Fryeslayers vs Orruks and Free Peoples vs Skaven.
Yeah, I was just trying to show off, but imagine if I had guessed a correct combination
• The major surprise this year, 40k game using Shadespire style rules. Expect GW to put a lot of their chips on this one. Fully diversified characters, female Inquisitors, tech priests and rogue traders. This will probably be a what’s used for all 40k spin off media going forward. Possibly an Eisenhorn tie in.
A swing and a miss. It’s a great idea, I’m probably going to have to wait until Eisenhorn to be released before seeing this
• Space marine heroes series 4, probably Primaris marines, outside chance Deathwatch, maybe even Tau.
Nope. We only saw series 3 being released in the uk at the end of 2020 so series 4 will take ages if it even happens at all
• BloodBowl gets a re-release with High Elves and Amazons, or quietly shelved.
I should have kept my mouth shut on the team makeup. Maybe we will see them in 2021
1. Battlefleet gothic rereleased and set in the Horus Heresy era.
2. GorkaMorka
3. Adeptus Titanicus gets no releases, the wait for Epic 30k continues.
4. A female space marine
5. A Plastic Imperator Titan
Almost a clean sweep, I forgot about the missing Ad Mech knights or the Warbringer for AT
• Forgeworld will release Jhagetti Khan, and re-release the Aeronautica scale Thunderhawk and Eldar fliers.
Complete miss. Again, I forgot about a key missing model, namely Lion El’Johnson
• Shadespire will continue to roll along. Once the computer version is released late in the year the releases will start to dry up.
I keep undervaluing Shadespire as a long term franchise but it delivered in 2020 and even the planned 2021 releases are promising
• Lord of the Rings will still be a thing and probably readied internally for a rerelease to coincide with the 2021 Netflix series.
Although I can’t prove this, I think the rescaling of the recent Lord of the Rings releases proves that a major release is coming
• Blackstone Fortress will get a small boxed set maybe with a Zoat or Enslaver.
Nailed it
• Necromunda gets a few new gangs to keep it ticking over.
Only 1 gang but we got a years roadmap and extras for 4 of the existing gangs
• Warcry, and Sisters of Battle get their full releases.
Obvious, but yeap
• 3D printing will continue to not disrupt the industry. We might see a few colourised renders published on Reddit as fake rumours only to be later shown as elaborate viral marketing for Shapeways shops.
Loads more small 3D modellers have sprung up this year but scaling issues mean this remains a niche industry inside a niche industry
• Increase in 40k gender and racial diversification.
In short, GW made an anti-racism statement (which was immediately deliberately misinterpreted by racists). Meanwhile they asked gaming companies to stop working with YouTube trolls.
I’m giving myself 19/28
