BL Publishing

BL Publishing logo

BL Publishing was a former division of Games Workshop. It produced fiction and merchandise related to Games Workshop's intellectual property, as well as third-party titles under license. BL Publishing was split into seven separate imprints, each with a particularly focus.^[1]

Although the name "BL Publishing" was commonly assumed to stand for "Black Library Publishing", this was reportedly not the case.^[2]

Imprints

• Black Library publishes fiction set in Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 universes. It is now a separate division of Games Workshop and is the only BL Publishing imprint that remains active.
• Warp Artefacts produced art prints, clothing, and replica items from the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 settings.^[3] In early 2006, it was merged into Black Library and rebranded as BL Merchandise.^[4]
• Black Flame published science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels based on licensed third-party intellectual properties. The imprint ceased operation in 2008.^[5]
• Black Industries focused on role-playing games, including Talisman, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and the Warhammer 40,000 roleplaying game Dark Heresy. When the imprint closed in 2008, its licences were transferred to Fantasy Flight Games.^[6][7]
• Sabertooth Games produced collectible card games set in the Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 universes, as well as the Universal Fighting System based on licensed third-party IPs.^[8] It closed in 2008, with its product licences also passing to Fantasy Flight Games.^[7]
• Warhammer Historical Wargames, often referred to simply as Warhammer Historical, published wargames based on historical armies and conflicts.^[9] In early 2009, the division was transferred to Forge World.^[10]
• Solaris Books was an imprint dedicated to original science fiction and fantasy novels.^[11] In 2009, it was acquired by the British video-game company Rebellion Developments.^[12]

Sources

• 1: BL Publishing Homepage (saved archive page, dated 27 December 2007, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 2: Black Library Forums: GW Fluff and BL Fluff... What's Cannon and not? (Post by Ragnar Karlsson, dated 12/09/2006) (saved archive page, dated 22 May 2008, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 3: Warp Artefacts: Homepage (saved archive page, dated 3 April 2003, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 4: Warp Artefacts: Homepage (saved archive page, dated 27 April 2006, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 5: Black Flame Homepage (saved archive page, dated 20 April 2008, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 6: Black Industries: About (saved archive page, dated 10 April 2008, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 7: Black Industries: News Archive (saved archive page, dated 30 May 2008, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 8: Sabertooth Games (saved archive page, dated 4 February 2007, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 9: Warhammer Historical (saved archive page, dated 2 April 2006, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 10: Tabletop Gaming News: Warhammer Historical now a division of Forge World (Posted 11 March 2009) (saved archive page, dated 13 March 2009, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 11: Solaris: About Solaris (saved archive page, dated 19 February 2007, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)
• 12: The Book Sellers.com: Rebellion aquires Solaris imprint (Posted 03.09.2009) (saved archive page, dated 6 September 2009, last accessed 19 November 2025, original link)