When GW released their plastic Nagash kit, few of us realised it was the first stone in an avalanche that would see the end of 8th Edition Fantasy, the entire Old World, and multiple ranges of well-loved models. It was a move that has caused a bitter, lasting enmity between veteran gamers and Fantasy's replacement - Age of Sigmar.
There are as many opinions about why the decision was made as there are people to voice them. It's a debate that rages to this day. But from the mass of conspiracy theories, there are some signposts that hint at the truth. They point at two of the more plausible explanations.
Firstly, it's possible that GW was attempting to crack down on IP infringement. Secondly, the Old World may have been destroyed to pave the way for AoS' very different rules. Of course, it could be both.
Those who favour the crackdown theory cite the changes to the names established 40K armies - most notably the Astra Militarum (that's the Imperial Guard). This happened at the same time Disney had acquired Lucas Arts and were unveiling the new Star Wars movies.
The Imperial Guard in the Star Wars franchise were the silent guardians of the Emperor, all dressed in red. The theory goes that Disney had approached GW after discovering the Imperial Guard range and 'suggested' it might be changed. It's no secret that Disney are aggressive in the extreme on matters of IP.
It's possible this then triggered a review within Games Workshop of how their own IP is safeguarded. Orcs to Orruks. Elves to Aelves. Goblins to Grots. There was certainly a shift to differentiate what are still races common to most fantasy games. Especially in a google search.
Do I believe Disney indirectly caused the End Times? Not really. But the fact remains that what disappeared from the Fantasy range as AoS launched were the ranges most easily 'copied', given how close they were to historical factions.
Bretonnians (feudal knights), Tomb Kings (ancient Egypt), High Elves (common fantasy trope). They went and were not replaced - despite still being sought after even now. It's why we're very unlikely to ever see a Nippon or Cathay faction, given their obvious real-world equivalents.
If this theory is even slightly true, then GW's confidence in its sculpting as a defence against 3rd party models is seriously deficit. You only need to look at the more recent sculpts like, well, most of the Orc (Orruk) range to see that they are more than capable of turning out models so good-looking that they protect themselves from knock-offs.
If the rules were the driving factor, then the confidence problem is no different. 40K has survived transition to the new rules format, and many would argue is stronger for it. And sure, there was no guarantee that the new rules would be as well received as they were, so the decision might have been made to risk the less popular game system. Neither of which indicates any sort of confidence on GW's part.
The very act of writing the End Times and bringing 8th to a close shows that no ruleset is permanent - which will be well understood at GW.
It is hard to see the logic of either decision; removing ranges in order to facilitate rules and to sell new ranges, or to prevent ranges facing competition from 3rd party models. All of which points to the conclusion that something else drove the end of 8th and the ending of so many ranges.
The fact that the resentment against AoS remains to this day is more than just the growling of neckbeards. It's the symptom of a poor long-term decision, and evidence that for all its success, GW has room to improve.
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