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BL Publishing was a division of
Games Workshop Games Workshop Group (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are '' Warhammer Age of Sigmar'' and '' Warhammer 40,000''. Founded in 1975 by John Peake, ...
, and was split into three sections: * The
Black Library The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop (formerly a part of BL Publishing) which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks (and has previously produced art books, background books, and graphic novels) set in the ''Warhammer Fantasy ...
publishes novels, art books, background books and
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
s set in the
Warhammer Fantasy Warhammer Fantasy can mean: * ''Warhammer Fantasy'' (setting), the fictional setting of the various games and media * ''Warhammer'' (game), a table-top fantasy miniature wargame, and origin of the franchise *''Warhammer Age of Sigmar'', the success ...
world and the
Warhammer 40,000 ''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...
universe. Black Library is now a separate division of Games Workshop, and the only former BL Publishing division still in existence. * Black Flame published
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
and horror novels based on licensed third party intellectual property. It was disbanded in 2008. *
Warhammer Historical Wargames ''Warhammer Historical Wargames'', also known as ''Warhammer Historical'', was the publisher of Warhammer Ancient Battles and other game systems. It was an imprint from the BL Publishing division of Games Workshop. From a leaked email from Rob ...
published historical wargames including
Warhammer Ancient Battles ''Warhammer Ancient Battles'' (often referred to as "WAB" and sometimes Warhammer Historical) is a ruleset for miniatures wargames produced by Games Workshop's Warhammer Historical Wargames imprint. It is a rulebook for historical wargames deve ...
. It was disbanded in November 2010.
Solaris Books Solaris Books is an imprint which focuses on publishing science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy novels and anthologies. The range includes titles by both established and new authors. The range is owned by Rebellion Developments and distribute ...
, founded in Spring 2007 as an imprint of BL Publishing, focussing on original works of science fiction and fantasy, was acquired in September 2009 by
Rebellion Developments Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford, England. Founded by Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for its ''Sniper Elite'' series and multiple games in the ''Alien vs. P ...
for an undisclosed sum. Also associated with BL Publishing: * Warp Artefacts - This used to be the imprint of BL Publishing that marketed official artefacts from the worlds of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000; including art prints, clothing and life sized
replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...
s of Warhammer items. Early 2006 they were brought closer to Black Library under the banner of BL Merchandise. * Sabertooth Games - was responsible for Collectable Games, including a number of different
Collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
s and Collectible miniatures games. Sabertooth and BLP were both parts of what was known organisationally inside GW as the Entertainment & Media Division (EMD). Sabertooth handled hobby sales of BLP titles in the US and Canada, and vice versa was true in Europe through BLP. It was disbanded in 2008. *
Black Industries Black Industries was the role-playing game imprint of BL Publishing, the publishing arm of Games Workshop. It was announced on January 28, 2008 that it would cease operations after its products currently scheduled for release are published. His ...
was Games Workshop's
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...
imprint. They marketed the second edition of
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay ''Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay'' or ''Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play'' (abbreviated to ''WFRP'' or ''WHFRP'') is a role-playing game set in the ''Warhammer Fantasy'' setting, published by Games Workshop or its licensees. The first edition of ''WF ...
and (for a short time) Dark Heresy, based in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.


Sabertooth Games

Sabertooth Games (STG) is a now defunct
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...
based game company, founded in 2001. The company primarily produced
collectible card games A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with '' Magic: The Gathering'' in 1993. Genera ...
as a
subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a ...
of Games Workshop, PLC. Sabertooth Games was considered a "sister company" of the other divisions in BL Publishing.


Background

Sabertooth Games was a small company which primarily targeted hobby stores, rather than attempting to sell through standard mass-market channels. The company's mission statement from CEO Stephen Horvath emphasizes that this focus benefited and helped to support such smaller retailers. In an interview with
GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1996 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for the game, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the Ga ...
, Horvath notes that the company encourages players to "buy the game where you play the game." Towards this end, the company often sponsors events and provides free promotional cards at local stores. The games produced by Sabertooth Games made use of existing game licenses or
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
. Traditionally, these games were based on other
board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a co ...
or
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...
properties, such as the ''
Warhammer 40,000 ''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987, ...
'' universe. However, with the introduction of the '' Universal Fighting System'' in 2006, the company expanded into the area of
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...
properties, partnering with
Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being '' Resident Evil'', '' Monster Hunter'', '' Street Fighter'', ''Mega Man'', ''De ...
,
Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiun ...
, and others. In early 2008, following the financial difficulties of Games Workshop, a number of Sabertooth Games' assets, including the Universal Fighting System, were sold to Fantasy Flight Games, along with licenses for board games.


Games

The company produced and sold the following collectible card game products: * ''
Warhammer 40,000 Collectible Card Game ''Warhammer 40,000 Collectible Card Game'', sometimes denoted WH40KCCG is an out-of-print collectible card game released in 2001 by Sabertooth Games. It is set in the fictional '' Warhammer 40,000'' universe. The players may select various factio ...
'' * '' Horus Heresy'' * ''
Dark Millennium ''Dark Millennium'' is an out-of-print collectible card game. It's the successor to the Horus Heresy and set in the fictional '' Warhammer 40,000'' universe. The base card set was launched in October 2005 by Sabertooth Games. Storyline Events ...
'' * '' Universal Fighting System'' * '' WarCry'' Each of these products includes several different sets or expansions, and new expansions continued to be released on an ongoing basis (for at least several of these) in order to maintain consumer interest. Previously published games which are now out-of-print include '' Horus Heresy'' and the ''
Warhammer 40,000 Collectible Card Game ''Warhammer 40,000 Collectible Card Game'', sometimes denoted WH40KCCG is an out-of-print collectible card game released in 2001 by Sabertooth Games. It is set in the fictional '' Warhammer 40,000'' universe. The players may select various factio ...
''.


See also

* Horus Heresy * Warhammer Fantasy (setting)


References


External links


BL PublishingBL Publishing Forum
{{Authority control Games Workshop Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Collectible card games