Rachel Tongue, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Games Workshop, sold two-thirds of her stake in the company worth approximately $865,000 as hobbyists have begun cancelling their Warhammer+ subscriptions and have indicated they will boycott the company.
Warhammer 40,000
The subscription cancellations and call to boycott come after the company retconned their Adeptus Custodes army by adding in a female Adeptus Custodes in its upcoming Codex: Adeptus Custodes.
An excerpt from the book details, “Custodian Calladayce Taorvalia Kesh stood upon the bridge of a Cobra-class destroyer. Named Vigilant Flame, the warship belonged to the mighty Battlefleet Solar. She lingered in the shadows at the back of the bridge, positioned at a spot where she could observe the actions of every crew member be they in the instrumentation pits, at the armament shrines or — in the case of Shipmaster Lethwyck — stood ramrod straight before his command throne.”
An excerpt from a Codex: Adeptus Custodes (2024), Black Library
READ: Warhammer 40K Fan Site Attacks Players As “Bigots” For Disliking Female Adeptus Custodes Retcon
Another excerpt states, “Kesh was warned before anyone else aboard, sensing a sudden empyric energy spike coupled with the surge of overpressure and sharp temperature drop that presaged a teleport strike. Her guardian spear was levelled and armed before the first cry of alarm or howl of a klaxon rang through the bridge.”
An excerpt from a Warhammer codex
The official Warhammer social media account not only confirmed the excerpts, but gaslit hobbyists and enthusiasts writing on X, “Since the first of the Ten Thousand were created, there have always been female Custodians.”
Warhammer on X
Previous lore as shared by former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern makes it clear the Adeptus Custodes were an all-male organization.
An excerpt from the Rogue Trader rules in 1987 states, “The Adeptus Custodes is the Emperor’s inner guard, the members of which are privileged in being permitted to serve upon the Emperor, attending to his needs, receiving and recording his directions. These men never leave Earth and only rarely leave the Imperial Palace – an endless, black hive of forbidden technology and subterranean passages delving deep within the bowels of the planet.”
Warhammer 40k is a grimdark sci-fi tabletop game that is the #1 miniature gaming IP in the world.
The Adeptus Custodes are the Emperor’s inner guard and much stronger, better in every way than space marines.
Introduced in the Rogue Trader rules in 1987 as MEN from the VERY… pic.twitter.com/oeTlARrPuf
— Grummz (@Grummz) April 15, 2024
Kern also shared excerpts from the 2017 and 2018 Adeptus Custodes Codexes that refer to them as the Brotherhood of Demigods and make it clear they were recruited from the sons of nobles.
One excerpt reads, “It is known that all Custodians begin their lives as the infant sons of the noble houses of Terra. It is a mark of incredible prestige to surrender one’s child to this most glorious of callings within the Imperium, and many notable clans amongst the Terran aristocracy have willingly given up almost entire generations of newborn sons to earn it.”
In the 7th and 8th edition of the official Custodes codexes, they are repeatedly referred to as the BROTHERHOOD of Demigods, recruited from the SONS of nobles.
*2017 and 2018
(Con’t) pic.twitter.com/CORWSbjYay
— Grummz (@Grummz) April 15, 2024
Since this retcon and subsequent gaslighting numerous Warhammer players, hobbyists, and enthusiasts have announced they have cancelled their Warhammer+ subscriptions and will boycott Games Workshop going forward.
Amid this controversy and boycott, The Business Desk reports that Tongue “reduced her stake in the Nottingham-based company by two-thirds, after the share sale at an average price of £94.893 per share.”
Warhammer 40,000: Codex: Adeptus Custodes (2024), Games Workshop
Not only does Tongue’s sale come amid a boycott, but it comes months after it was revealed in the company’s half year report that she had resigned from the company. Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree shared in the company’s 2023-24 Half-Yearly Report in January, “Also, after 27 years with the Group and nine years on the board, Rachel Tongue has informed the board that she does not propose to offer herself for re-election as chief financial officer at the next AGM in September 2024. Rachel will continue in her role, working as an integral part of my team to ensure a smooth transfer of responsibilities to her successor. Rachel is amazing and she will be missed enormously.”
Rountree added, “Rachel will step down from the board at the 2024 AGM and will leave the Group in January 2025. We will be commencing a search for her successor immediately.”
Games Workshop’s stock price has declined nearly 5% since the beginning of the year. However, it’s up nearly 142.81% over the last five years. Since 2007, the stock price has increased nearly 2,000%.
Warhammer 40,000 Guilliman vs. Black Legion
What do you make of Tongue sharing two-thirds of her shares in the midst of this Warhammer controversy and just months after her resignation was announced?
People will still buy the miniatures and play the games. Wokeness will eventually disappear, because the bottom line has been affected. But in the end, it won’t matter.