Miniature Game Market Shows Growth in 2024, Despite Overall TCG Dip

In a year where the North American Trading Card Game (TCG) market saw a slight decline, the miniatures category stood out as the lone beacon of growth within the hobby games sector.  Miniatures sales climbed from $570 million in 2023 to $580 million in 2024. While this increase is modest, it signifies continued positive momentum, especially following the category’s impressive 9% surge in 2023, which outpaced all other hobby game segments. Notably, miniatures sales remain a robust 60% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Games Workshop Drives the Growth:

Leading the charge in this growth is Games Workshop, which experienced a notable 10% sales increase in North America during 2024. This boost can be attributed to the full year of releases for the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 and the successful launch of the new Warhammer: Age of Sigmar edition in the first half of the year. However, this growth was partially offset by declines in other miniatures lines.

New Releases Make a Splash:

Several new miniatures game releases contributed to the category’s positive performance. Renegade Games’ Heroscape and Mantic Games’ Halo: Flashpoint both garnered significant attention and sales. As one distributor noted, “The new Halo: Flashpoint release had strong interest and sales.”

Additionally, the relaunch of Warmachine by Steamforged Games, following their acquisition of Privateer Press, marked another significant development in the miniatures landscape.

Established Lines Maintain Strength:

While the release of Dungeons & Dragons 2024 didn’t appear to significantly impact D&D miniatures sales, the line remained strong, suggesting a potential stabilization after a period of peak performance. Similarly, BattleTech sales, following years of rapid growth, seemed to stabilize at a high level in 2024.

Atomic Mass Games’ Marvel Crisis Protocol continued its strong sales performance, fueled by a steady stream of new character releases.

Looking Ahead:

Despite the broader challenges facing the TCG market, the miniatures category demonstrates resilience and ongoing appeal. The success of Games Workshop, coupled with the positive reception of new releases and the steady performance of established lines, suggests that the miniatures market remains a vibrant and dynamic segment of the hobby games industry.