Hobby Industry Inside No. 21: We saw the fertile field of the hobby industry in the dense miniatures and world of the Games Workshop, which is so vast and free!

Games Workshop, based in the UK, produces a vast number of fantasy and science fiction characters as "assembly kits" similar to plastic models.
The "goal" or "style" of the company seems to be to assemble elaborate miniatures, expand fields such as towns and forests, and play tabletop games, but the forefront of their "play" seems to be more free and generous.
We visited the Warhammer Store Jimbocho, which is visited by many foreign customers, and spoke with store manager Yuji Tanno and sales manager Koji Otomo.

Not a game company, but a miniatures manufacturer?

───Where did the Games Workshop spread in Japan?

Otomo: We opened our first directly managed store in Japan about 150 meters away from our current Jimbocho store, and now we have four directly managed stores. We currently have four directly-managed stores. Apart from our directly-managed stores, our products are sold at about 100 stores throughout Japan.

───How much history does your company have overseas?

OtomoThe company originated in England and has a history of about 40 years.

───There seem to be several types of products in the series developed by Games Workshop, aren't there?

Otomo Yes, there are. The biggest one is "Warhammer Age of Sigmar," which is a fantasy world. The other is a science fiction series called Warhammer 40,000. The important thing is that the worldview comes before the game. The company's name is Games Workshop, so people mistake us for a game company, but we are just a miniatures manufacturer, developing miniature hobby products.
However, our customers vary from those who buy miniatures to play games, to those who want to enjoy assembling elaborate miniatures, to those who want to collect miniatures. We offer four different ways to enjoy miniatures: collection, modeling, painting, and game play, but first and foremost, miniatures are a hobby based on the world view.


─ So playing games with miniatures is not the ultimate goal?

Otomo Yes. You don't have to play the game at all.

Tanno: In my case, I start by painting the miniatures. Originally, I liked military plastic models, and while I was looking for suitable paints for painting figures, I came across Games Workshop miniatures.