Warhammer 40k and Age of Sigmar might be most at home on the tabletop, but, with the launch of Games Workshop’s new streaming service-slash-VIP programme Warhammer+, they’re about to be part of a… gulp… multimedia entertainment ecosystem. And, frankly, Warhammer+ looks like it’s shaping up to be a very attractive service for Warhammer fans.
After its initial announcement back in May, all we really knew was that Warhammer+ would be a streaming service (built with the help of a mysterious ‘big name’ in that industry) to house their 11 new official Warhammer animations. Some had raised eyebrows at the prospect of building an entire streaming platform (or, indeed, paying a monthly fee) for the sake of what seemed likely to be only a few dozen hours of video, at most.
Since GW spilled the beans in its big Warhammer+ features reveal livestream on June 23, however, it’s clear their service is a many-headed beast, and – for the keenest Warhammer fans at least – a much bigger deal than it may first have appeared. So, to give you a clear idea of what’s included – and whether you might be an early recruit – we’ve laid out all the key details here in black and white.
Here’s everything we know so far about Warhammer+:
Warhammer+ release date
Warhammer+ launched on Wednesday, August 25, 2021, with its associated Warhammer TV streaming app releasing for Android and Apple devices simultaneously. You can subscribe right now on the Warhammer+ website.
Games Workshop announced the launch date as part of its big Warhammer+ features reveal livestream on Wednesday, June 23.
On that stream, Warhammer Community presenter Adam Troke confirmed that the launch had originally been scheduled for July, but had been pushed back to August “to prioritise the health and safety of our staff” due to continuing covid-related risks.
Warhammer+ price
A Warhammer+ subscription will cost you $5.99 / £4.99 per month, or $59.99 / £49.99 if you pay for the year up front.
And GW is now offering anyone who subscribes to Warhammer+ before Tuesday, August 31 a £10 gift voucher to spend on its official webstore.
But be mindful: in order to collect that voucher, you’ll have to remain subscribed until at least the beginning of October; you can’t just subscribe, snap it up, and slip away without paying your subs – GW was not born yesterday.
As for when the next exclusive subscriber offers will come along, we’re not sure yet – but rest easy: we’ll keep this guide updated when they start popping up.
We also don’t yet know what impact this shift in GW’s pricing policy will have on third-party stockists, who have thus far been able to sell Warhammer product at a significant discount.
Warhammer+ miniatures
If you subscribe to Warhammer+ for a whole year, you’ll get an exclusive miniature sent to you at the end of that year, as a reward.
This year, from launch, you’ll have the choice of a Vindicare Assassin, for Warhammer 40K, or an Ironjawz Orruk Megaboss, for Age of Sigmar. GW says the choice of exclusive minis will change each year with fresh new toys.
And, apparently by way of recompense for its inconsistent and feature-poor initial launch, existing subscribers to the Warhammer 40K app will get their exclusive Warhammer+ mini sent out to them three months early, if they sign up to Warhammer+ before September 25.
They also get a mysterious, additional free gift if they do so by buying a full-year subscription.
Warhammer+ Apps
A Warhammer+ subscription will automatically give you access to the Warhammer 40K and Warhammer Age of Sigmar apps, both of which currently charge their own monthly subscription fee.
You’ll get premium access to the Warhammer 40k app on launch – and to the new Age of Sigmar app when it launches in late September.
That’s in addition to the Warhammer+ streaming app itself, through which you’ll access all Warhammer+ video content (and, presumably, the Warhammer Vault).
Warhammer+ TV shows
From the August 25 launch date, the Warhammer+ streaming platform portion of Warhammer+ will feature at least three shows to be produced in-house by Games Workshop, alongside the suite of animations; they are:
Citadel Masterclass
Warhammer+ will feature two episodes of Citadel Masterclass at launch.
An expert painting tutorial show presented by new recruit Louise Sugden. On the June 23 stream, Sugden described the show’s remit as teaching techniques beyond GW’s specified ‘Parade Ready’ level of quality. She also requested suggestions via the firm’s social media channels for which advanced painting techniques people wanted to see.
Battle Report
Warhammer+ will feature two episodes of Battle Report at launch.
Apparently GW’s first ever branded version of the ubiquitous YouTube game report video format, Battle Report will reportedly feature “spectacular showdowns of tactics and cunning” – for which we read: well filmed games of Warhammer between GW staff members, using gorgeously painted armies.
Loremasters
Loremasters will not be live at launch, but will join Warhammer+ from Wednesday, September 1.
This looks to be a narrative-focused show with Warhammer Community mainstay Wade Pryce as its main presenter. From the clear use of ‘Warhammer’ branding rather than any more specific logo, Loremasters would appear to span both Warhammer 40K and Warhammer Age of Sigmar stories.
Warhammer+ animations
Warhammer+ was always billed as the home of all official Warhammer animations, and will run through an app, playable on TVs, tablets, and mobile devices. So far, 11 animated shows have been announced for the service, covering a wide breadth of 40k and Age of Sigmar lore, as well as several animation styles, from anime to photorealism.
Although the length of the upcoming shows hasn’t been revealed, all have typically grimdark names, including: Hammer and Bolter, Angels of Death, The Exodite, Iron Within, Altar of Wrath, Blacktalon, Interrogator, Broken Lance, Pariah Nexus, High Lords, and Astartes II.
Here’s the latest Warhammer animations trailer, from the June 23 reveal – or you can watch an earlier sizzle reel of the shows below.
Alongside the initial announcement of the streaming service, Games Workshop released the opening scenes of Angels of Death, and confirmed the stylised, greyscale animation will be one of the first shows to launch on Warhammer+.
First announced back in 2018, we’ve seen a fair few trailers of the show, which follows a squad of Blood Angels as they search for their missing captain, confronting the Genestealer Cults along the way.
Fans had expected a big Warhammer animation release for a while. Back in March, Games Workshop hired Syama Pedersen, creator of the popular, fan-made Warhammer 40k animated short film series Astartes, to make an official, branded sequel, and announced it had commissioned half a dozen third parties to work with its in-house animation team on new projects.
Warhammer Vault
A Warhammer+ subscription will also include access to the new Warhammer Vault (also announced on June 23), a digital archive of old and new books, supplements, magazines, and assorted GW publications from across Warhammer’s history.
We don’t know exactly what’ll be included yet (except for the 2020 back catalogue of White Dwarf magazine) but, in the June 23 stream, Warhammer Community presenter Adam Troke there would be more content added to it every week “forever”. So we’re presuming there’s a fair amount of stuff in the GW data-stacks being warmed up ready…
Excited by the announcement, but a little overwhelmed? Read our Warhammer 40k Imperium factions guide to brush up on the Emperor and his loyal chapters, before you watch their exploits on the small screen.
Source: Wargamer
