OgreCave

10:31 am: Allan Sugarbaker says...
Green Ronin to wield Warhammer FRP, other titles

This morning, Green Ronin announced it has struck a deal with BL Publishing, a subsidiary of Games Workshop, to be the exclusive RPG developer of GW properties. The products will be published by BL Publishing, allowing Green Ronin to concentrate on the creative aspects. As one would expect, the planned products include a new edition of Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play, which Green Ronin is already working on. The new version is scheduled for Spring 2005, and is sure to be followed by a variety of other Games Workshop RPG titles. If Warhammer 40k becomes a roleplaying game, we may see a whole lot more sci-fi going around.

Green Ronin press release text follows:

GREEN RONIN TO DEVELOP RPGS FOR BL PUBLISHING

April 30, 2004 it has concluded a deal to design and develop roleplaying games for BL Publishing, a subsidiary of Games Workshop. Green Ronin has been named exclusive RPG developer for Games Workshop’s intellectual properties, including Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000. The games will be published by Black Industries, the new RPG imprint of BL Publishing. Work has already begun on a new edition of the classic Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play game.

“Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 are two of the best properties in gaming,” says Green Ronin’s President Chris Pramas, “and they deserve top quality RPG treatment. We are honored to be working with BL Publishing to make these games a reality.”

Pramas, winner of multiple Origins and ENnie Awards for his design work, is no stranger to the worlds of Warhammer. He contributed several Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 short stories to Inferno magazine, and wrote for the previous edition of Warhammer Fantasy Role Play. “Designing the new edition of Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play will, in many ways, be the culmination of my career as a game designer,” adds Pramas.

“I am delighted to announce this new edition of Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play,” says Simon Butler, head of Black Industries, “and in Green Ronin we have a developer who shares both our passion for the world of Warhammer, and our commitment to producing innovative and immensely enjoyable roleplaying games of the very highest quality.”

Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play, 2nd edition, is scheduled for Spring, 2005. Games based on other Games Workshop properties, as well as major licensed products, are also in development.

Games Workshop, Warhammer, and Warhammer 40,000 are trademarks of Games Workshop Ltd registered in the UK and elsewhere in the world.

Company Information:

Green Ronin Publishing was founded in 2000 by game industry veterans Chris Pramas, Nicole Lindroos, and Hal Mangold. The company has published over 50 books since then, establishing a reputation for innovation and quality that is second to none in the RPG industry. Its award-winning products include Mutants & Masterminds, Book of the Righteous, and Freeport: The City of Adventure. Point your browser to www.greenronin.com for more info.

Green Ronin Media Contact:
Nicole Lindroos
nicole@greenronin.com

BL Publishing is the publishing wing of the world famous Games Workshop group of companies. As well as its new Black Industries imprint, the division is also home to the Black Library, which has been producing best-selling and award-winning novels, comics and artbooks set in the worlds of Warhammer since 1997. It also includes the Black Flame fiction imprint for non-Warhammer titles, Warhammer Historical Wargames.

Black Industries Contact:
Simon Butler
blackindustries@games-workshop.co.uk

http://www.blackindustries.com/

About Games Workshop Group PLC
Games Workshop Group PLC, a London Stock Exchange quoted company listed in 1994, has been in business for 28 years. At the core is a niche business – Games Workshop. This business designs, manufactures, distributes and markets tabletop wargames. Its key brands are the high gothic Warhammer Fantasy Battles and darkly futuristic Warhammer 40,000 mass combat systems. Headquartered in Nottingham, the company also has wholly-owned subsidiaries in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Australia & Italy. Products are sold via the company’s own 300+ Hobby centres worldwide and in more than 4,000 independent outlets internationally. In addition, Games Workshop Group PLC has other companies which also design and market niche product which appeal to hobbyists who appreciate fantasy worlds and imagery. These include Sabertooth Games, Inc, Warhammer Online and BL Publishing. Turnover to May 2003 was £129.1m (2002: £108.6m.)

http://www.games-workshop.com/

Julia Woodall, PR & Investor Relations, Games Workshop Group PLC, +44 (0 115 9168026 or e-mail juliaw@games-workshop.co.uk