Games Workshop Publishes, Then Edits Blog Post Claiming “Breathtakingly Outdated Views On Inclusivity” Are “Undeniably Warhammer”

An Ultramarine Sergeant stomps out a Xeno for the glory of the God-Emperor on Games Workshop's variant cover to Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar Vol. 1 #3 (2020), Marvel Comics
An Ultramarine Sergeant stomps out a Xeno for the glory of the God-Emperor on Games Workshop's variant cover to Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar Vol. 1 #3 (2020), Marvel Comics

Seemingly unable to go more than a few days without blatantly insulting their already-unhappy fanbase, Warhammer 40,000 publisher Games Workshop has moved to edit a recent blog post in which they described “breathtakingly outdated views on inclusivity” as being an ‘undeniable’ part of the popular table-top game’s overall culture.

Marneus Calgar lets loose his rage on James Stokoe's variant cover to Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar Vol 1 #5 (2021), Marvel Comics
Marneus Calgar lets loose his rage on James Stokoe’s variant cover to Warhammer 40,000: Marneus Calgar Vol 1 #5 (2021), Marvel Comics

RELATED: Games Workshop Makes Insulting Retcon To ‘Warhammer 40K Lore’, Claims All-Male Adeptus Cadre Faction Has “Always” Featured Female Members

On May 21st, Games Workshop published the latest edition of their The Rumour Engine blog, a regular feature wherein the publisher teases their upcoming releases by sharing zoomed-in photos of a specific element – such as a hand, sword, or helmet – of an in-development miniature.

An Adepta Sororitas Cannoness descends upon the battlefield in Warhammer 40K (1987), Games Workshop
An Adepta Sororitas Cannoness descends upon the battlefield in Warhammer 40K (1987), Games Workshop

This time choosing to highlight an image of a simple burning torch, Games Workshop initially described the item, per a screenshot shared to Twitter by numerous users including Twitch streamer @HMBohemond, as “something undeniably Warhammer.”

“Unambiguous, a little gothic, probably carried by someone with breathtakingly outdated views on inclusivity…It’s got the lot,” wrote the publisher. “We don’t even need to guess what this is, really.”

The original version of Games Workshop's May 21st, 2024 edition of their 'The Rumor Engine' blog
The original version of Games Workshop’s May 21st, 2024 edition of their ‘The Rumor Engine’ blog

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Unsurprisingly, this unnecessarily condescending swing at Warhammer 40K fans did not go over well, and just as quickly as it was published did a wave of backlash begin to build against Games Workshop.

Taking note of the outrage, Games Workshop would soon after respond by removing the passive-aggressive language all together.

As such, this edition of The Rumor Engine now simply reads, “Here we go, something undeniably Warhammer. Unambiguous, a little gothic, it’s got the lot. We don’t even need to guess what this is, really.”

An Ork stomps his way onto the field in Warhammer 40,000 Combat Patrol: Orks (2024), Games Workshop
An Ork stomps his way onto the field in Warhammer 40,000 Combat Patrol: Orks (2024), Games Workshop

Notably, this insult towards Warhammer 40K fans is but the latest to be leveled by Games Workshop in recent months.

Last month, in attempting to introduce women into the ranks of the game’s Adeptus Custodes faction, the publisher declared that “there have always been female Custodians”.

The Adeptus Custodes are ready to stamp out Heresy in Adrian Smith's 'Custodian Command Squad' art for the Warhammer 40K Horus Heresy CCG (2004), Games Workshop
The Adeptus Custodes are ready to stamp out Heresy in Adrian Smith’s ‘Custodian Command Squad’ art for the Warhammer 40K Horus Heresy CCG (2004), Games Workshop

However, as fans were quick to point out, that fact was explicitly not true, as official lore books had previously and outright confirmed that only “infant sons” were chosen to serve in the God-Emperor’s elite guard.

Nonetheless, the publisher stood by their statement and rather than apologize to fans for attempting to gaslight them, instead chose to simply move forward with their retcon.

An Adeptus Custodian Terminator Squad marches into battle in Sam Wood's 'Custodian Terminator Squad' art for the Warhammer 40K Horus Heresy CCG (2004), Games Workshop
An Adeptus Custodian Terminator Squad marches into battle in Sam Wood’s ‘Custodian Terminator Squad’ art for the Warhammer 40K Horus Heresy CCG (2004), Games Workshop

As of writing, Games Workshop has yet to publicly comment on the original version of their blog post.

Further, the current version does not feature any note that it has been edited.

NEXT: Games Workshop Issues Statement Disavowing “Real-World Hate Groups” Who Co-Opt Warhammer 40K “For Their Own Agendas”

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