Posted on

The Rise of Warhammer Influencers and Content Creators on YouTube

Warhammer has enjoyed a noticeable burst in popularity over the last decade. This same surge in interest has nurtured and grown a lively community of tabletop players, model hobbyists, and storytellers – all of whom are taking to online platforms to share their content.

Warhammer is a miniature-based tabletop wargame in which players build and paint detailed models, set up battlefields, and engage in strategic warfare with other players. With a fantastic background setting and extensive lore spanning thousands of years, the game has a rich fictitious history, making it a popular topic of conversation and exploration.

People playing Warhammer games on Tabletop
People playing Warhammer games on Tabletop

In recent years, YouTube has become the big “go-to” platform for Warhammer fans, with creators and influencers creating a huge range of community generated Warhammer content.

Warhammer has more than 3 million players worldwide, according to Games Workshop, making it among the world’s most popular tabletop wargames. In addition, the company has claimed a consistent increase in sales over the last several years, which can be linked to the growing interest in the tabletop hobby.

The Warhammer community has also increased in number and diversity, with fans of various ages and backgrounds flocking to online platforms to express their enthusiasm for the hobby.

The Rise of Online Creators in the Warhammer Community

The emergence of community influencers and content creators has been an growing trend in recent years, most notably in the tabletop gaming and painting sides of the Warhammer community.

Hobbyist Painting Warhammer Models
Hobbyist Painting Warhammer Models

YouTube has been adopted en-masse and has grown to become a central hub for online Warhammer fans, with creators creating material ranging from professional level painting guides and walkthroughs, to new product reviews, and live gaming broadcasts.

Warhammer Battle Reports on YouTube
Warhammer Battle Reports on YouTube

The Warhammer community on YouTube is no different to many other niche hobby communities – with creators finding new and creative ways to expand on the existing rich lore around the hobby and Warhammer universes with their own user generated content.

Different YouTube channels tend to focus on different aspects of the hobby, with creators typically covering topics ranging from painting and model construction to tabletop gaming and battle reports.

YouTube Videos on Warhammer Lore
YouTube Videos on Warhammer Lore

The Warhammer YouTube Community

Tabletop Tactics, MiniWarGaming, Arbitor Ian, Warhammer (Official GW Warhammer YouTube channel), and Adeptus Ridiculous are amongst some of the most popular Warhammer YouTube channels.

These channels include lore discussions, battle reports, painting instructions, unboxing reviews, and model demonstrations, among other things. They are known for creating high-quality, entertaining, and educational content, with many of them sharing multiple new videos each week.

With over 164,000 followers and over 46 million views, Tabletop Tactics is a good example of a popular Warhammer YouTube channel. Among other things, the channel provides high-quality battle reports, army lists, tactics, and painting instructions. The information on the channel is interesting and instructive, and the level of production value is excellent.

Tabletop Tactics Warhammer YouTube Channel
Tabletop Tactics Warhammer YouTube Channel

Another famous channel is the official Warhammer YouTube channel, which is run by Games Workshop themselves.

This channel features a wide variety of shows, such as painting instruction, model showcases, and battle reports. The content on the official Warhammer YouTube Channel is of excellent quality, and the channel has a huge following, with over 616,000 subscriptions and more than 145 million views.

Official Warhammer YouTube Channel
Official Warhammer YouTube Channel

Midwinter Minis is yet another well watched Warhammer channel, with tutorials on painting and model building, as well as battlefield reports and a heap of other stuff. The channel has a sizable following, with over 344,000 members and over 26 million views, and its video content is generally of good quality.

Midwinter Minis YouTube Channel
Midwinter Minis YouTube Channel

What Do These Warhammer YouTube Channels Cover?

These channels’ content is simply the tip of the iceberg, alongside numerous additional channels providing a variety of Warhammer-related stuff.

There is something for every Warhammer fan to be found on these channels. They cater to a variety of interests, ranging from competitive tabletop gaming to narrative-driven storytelling which delves into the rich lore of the various Warhammer universes.

Warhammer YouTube Painting Guides
Warhammer YouTube Painting Guides

How Much Do These Warhammer YouTube Channels Make?

It is hard to know how much revenue these YouTube channels make because reported earnings from YouTube advertisements and other sources vary widely and are based on a range of variable criteria including the number of views, the type of material, and the demographics of the audience.

According to some estimates, successful YouTubers can earn between $0.01 and $0.03 per view, whilst others report a revenue rate of $1-3 per 1,000 views.

Arbitor Ian actually did a very insightful video on the advertising revenue that his YouTube channel has earned him after it’s first year, and you can watch that here: ONE YEAR as a YOUTUBER – Workload, money, subs and more!

Arbitor Ian 1 Year on YouTube
Arbitor Ian 1 Year on YouTube

With some channels collecting millions of views per month, this can result in substantial income for the YouTube content producers, particularly if they also have products, sponsorships, and other revenue sources alongside just the YouTube video advertising.

The emergence of Warhammer+ and the Warhammer TV streaming service

Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity presented by online content and streaming – Games Workshop now also have their own Warhammer+ subscription content service.

Warhammer+ provides access to an online library of digitized White Dwarf magazines and other official publications, as well as the new Warhammer TV streaming service.

The Warhammer TV subscription streaming service was made available in August 2021, and provides access to a variety of exclusive and official Warhammer-related video content, including new animated series, documentaries, real-life tabletop battle reports, and other exclusive content.

Warhammer TV Latest Watched Videos
Warhammer TV Latest Watched Videos

The service costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year and comes with several perks. This includes a range of exclusive free models with each year’s annual subscription, and access to content which is only available on the Warhammer TV platform and doesn’t appear on YouTube or anywhere else.

The video content available on Warhammer+ is of the highest production quality, featuring a variety of presentations and documentaries covering various facets of the game. Access to digital versions of White Dwarf, Games Workshop’s monthly magazine, and other premium content is also included. While Warhammer+ is a premium service, it provides a lot of value for Warhammer enthusiasts who want to stay current on news and content. Games Workshop have clearly invested heavily in state of the art video content studios and artwork production.

There is still a substantial amount of free Warhammer content to be enjoyed over on YouTube, and many Warhammer fan videos are being produced with content that is just as useful and entertaining as any of the content you’ll find on Warhammer+. However, what Warhammer+ does bring to the table is some very special and exclusive content. The animated video series which are being produced currently by Games Workshop and the Warhammer TV studio are arguably the best quality Warhammer video content currently available in the world today.