Interest in the Leviathan Box, the new gateway to the Warhammer 40,000 hobby and the 10th edition of the game, has been sold out, and Games Workshop has said that it will not be accepting made-to-order requests.
Leviathan Box Isn’t Coming Back
The company received a tremendous influx of requests from hobby stores and enthusiasts who emptied the warehouse in just hours with the orders now set to commence fulfilment on June 24, 2023. Despite this interest, Games Workshop will not be producing any more copies of the set it seems, at least for the time being.
The Leviathan Box has been redesigned to ensure that newcomers to the game find it a worthwhile and fairly straightforward onboarding experience into the overall Warhammer 40K universe. The company is confident that veterans of the game also have plenty to love in the box. Some more experienced players, though, have riposted that there is a fairly big balance issue with the Tyrranids apparently getting slaughtered in the Space Marines’ meat grinder.
These balance qualms aside, the overall impressions from the box, paired with the arrival of a new “simplified but not simple” edition of the popular skirmish games, have been largely positive, driving sales upwards.
Some people have been miffed at Games Workshop for amping up interest in the set, as happened with Warhammer Quest: Cursed City, but “failing to deliver.” Cursed City was in the midst of a controversy. Limited copies were available to retailers and the company’s own website, leaving fans chagrined and uncomprehending as to what would make the company not meet the demand for a product that is clearly much-anticipated by the community.
Empty Warehouses, Stoked Fans
The Leviathan Box sort of has the same feeling to it, but what the actual motivation behind Games Workshop’s decisions is, remains unknown. When speaking to local hobby stores in Poland and Bulgaria, The Meeples Herald also confirmed that limited copies of the box were dispatched. All stores we spoke to refused to give us exact numbers.
Meanwhile, Warhammer 40,000 is evolving in the way it plays. Previously, the game felt like a vortex of chaos – which it pretty much is – but now, Games Workshop has made concentrated efforts to streamline the design and simplify many of the rules as well as make it easier for players to track what is happening out on the field and with their units.
The company also reported that it expects to hit $560 million in revenue, bolstered by its licensing and miniatures sales.