Normally I'll read stuff like this and quietly digest it but this years preamble was so crazy that I think the doublespeak might actually qualify as performance art.

first the link http://investor.games-workshop.com/wp-c ... e-2014.pdf

this little gem had me snorting


second thing to note is that Kirby has announced he's stepping down as CEO


This is pretty much saying the CHS case lost us big, just not by name


So I'm not really sure how to take this document. At first I honestly thought this was a parody (I'm still not discounting a disgruntled IT worker posted this). Is this the long rumored retirement or are things that grim that he's being forced out? Did he take too much of his heart medication and is having a bad reaction? Quite possibly Kirby has a better sense of humor than I expected and this is a placeholder? Will dogs and cats ever live in peace?

edit: read it in a super villain voice, imagining him petting a white cat. it's awesome

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A "good" accounting firm can make the numbers say anything ...

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Indeed, Orwell would have been be proud.

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Another gem:
'We recruit for attitude and not for skill’ had me chuckling; yes, that's obvious; all shitty attitude and no skills is pretty much the hallmark of GW the last decade. At least.

And defending the shit out of their customers and trying their utmost to monopolize the market, not by making superior products but by suing Everyone up to and including fans and resellers, yeah, that's something they have to do, or their children will die ..

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I cannot help but rue the day GW dies; I've been a fan and I've despised them for a long long time. But it IS a sad truth that a lot of the industry is resting indirectly on their shoulders.

I do think, though, that they Will fall, if they don't exchange attitude for humility and skill.

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JZ that's just kirbys style, he always writes them in a very informal and sometimes jocular tone.

When he says they recruit for attitude, he means people who love GW and are good workers. He has said before that GWs biggest risk is its staff themselves, which actually in many ways is even more true now they have this "one man store" model. They definitely want people who have drunk the GW kool aid!

Need to read the rest of it now to find out if kirby really does think "it is true" or not that GW needs to take the attitude to IP it does.

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That last bit about the important thing being writing a letter, not writing a CV... I think we should all apply. All of us gamers in the world. I mean, we're already armchair generals, and half of us are armchair GW CEOs. Why not become the real GW CEO?

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Yeah, read that last night - wow! He's usually informal but the loonies have obviously taken over ! Let's put it this way (and baring in mind the performance of the last 2 years since he took over as "acting" CEO) I were an investor reading that I'd be selling my stock - or at least glad he'll be gone in 6 months !!

This is good comedy.

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Tau Empire, Mymeara Eldar, Tallarn Desert Raiders

Full reports are up. Pretty much what I expected with a few interesting bits.
YoY down 8% percent. North America and Australia regions the biggest hits. Germany and interesting growth opportunity.
Management is completely gutted. Basically there's Kirby and the region manager and then directly the one person store employees. Actually something I can support.
Insane comments about the store mangers being an expected flow of turnovers. Huge warning signs for companies to look for. Again, churn managers to meet quotas.
Mrs Kirby is evidently the head of IT. News there yo me (suppose I've missed that tidbit)
In store vs trade partners is much higher percentage of sales. Nothing new there. Indicates that LGSs are moving away from GW increasingly as the direct only and stick restrictions are becoming a drain. Strategically this is going to be disastrous in NA.

Everyone has been waiting for this report but honestly the next one is going to be more telling . We'll be able to ser more of a trend then. They've pulled out all the big hitters which pulled the nose up a bit from the dive but there's only so much you can throw out there before you over saturate the market on releases. I'm very interested to see if they continue to focus in 40k as much or if they're going to switch up on fantasy more. This will indicate what amount of stock they place on WFB viability.

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-Help me make Whitescars not suck!

Hi!

I've been waiting 15 years for GW to "kick the bucket". Looks like they are trending down that road.

I hope the IP can be picked up by someone who knows what to do with i.

Primarch

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It sounds like the sooner this arse leaves, the better. What a bellend.

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Without wanting to spoil the GW bashing party, I have to say it all makes sense to me.

For example, the "constant flow of managers for our stores" doesn't mean turnover of staff, it is a reference to what he already stated: that growth for GW is dependent on the opening of new stores, and that is limited by "finding great people to run them". What is negative or worrisome about that?

Similarly, the comment about the definition of good results: yes it is flippant and obtuse, but he is quite clear what he means. GW takes a long view, they want to be around "forever". So his point is that even in a year when trading conditions were not brilliant, and significant investments in reducing the cost base were made, the company still made real cash, has no debts, and lots of growth out there (ie new places in the globe that do not currently buy GW products and do not have retail stores). It's not doublespeak, but there is of course some spin whilst he takes a jibe at some of the financial world's short termism.

Crown jewels: he is saying that he was "deluged" by a grand total of two comments about his previous revealing of GW's "secret" of recruiting for attitude, and neither of those private comments were to complain that he'd revealed it. He's just saying he thinks it is really important and clearly obvious but can't explain why nobody else seems to do it. It's a bit of a tangent from "we're like apple: they sue people too" though!

On competition, there is nothing in there whatsoever to acknowledge any impact at all, it doesn't seem to be on their radar. Infringement, yes, but not competition from new manufacturers. New manufacturers don't have retail stores, and that's where new customers to the niche come from (ie growth). A lot is said every year about how GW is on a trend of alienating its customers and this will lead to its demise, but I just don't see it. They've been saying that as long as I remember, it's not new. People get fed up with GW over time and maybe buy stuff from their competitors, of which there are a greater choice perhaps, but all the new customers start with GW. Of course that can change in the future, but there is no indication of it changing at the moment.

I did notice the comment about lord of the rings rapidly declining, not sure what they'll do about fantasy but IMO there's plenty to release for 40k, it's practically limitless.

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I'm chuckling, heh heh, heh heh. What's that German word about shameful joy?