Warhammer 40K Fandom In Shock As Editors Allegedly Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Death And Make Shocking 9/11 Comments
New allegations suggest that behind the miniatures and codex pages, some Games Workshop editors were posting things so shocking that people are wondering who’s really shaping Warhammer 40K.
Summary
- Games Workshop faces backlash as employees are accused of celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death and even 9/11, raising concerns about extremism inside Warhammer 40K.
- Screenshots link editors like Tom Mendelson and others to posts endorsing political violence, sparking boycotts and angry fan debates.
- Fans demand answers from Games Workshop, questioning if the company will address staff accused of turning the hobby into a political battlefield.
The Warhammer 40K universe is famous for grimdark futures, space marines, and battles fought in the name of the Emperor.
What fans probably didn’t expect was that some of the drama would be coming from inside the real-world offices of Games Workshop, the company that makes the game.
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A new wave of allegations, online digging, and angry fan commentary is pointing fingers at several GW employees who have been accused of openly celebrating deaths, endorsing political violence, and dragging their personal crusades into the hobby.
The mess has fans asking if Warhammer 40K is turning into a battlefield of its own.
What Happened
The controversy heated up after the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Online, some developers and editors in the tabletop and gaming world were caught making celebratory remarks about his passing.
From there, internet sleuths started digging into old posts and retweets from Games Workshop staff.
One name that came up quickly: Tom Mendelson, a content specialist and editor with 16 years in the industry.
Mendelson allegedly posted about Kirk’s death in a way that many fans found gleeful, going as far as saying he had “zero sympathy” for someone he considered a fascist.
Screenshots also surfaced of Mendelson celebrating 9/11 as a “holiday,” which, if true, is about as subtle as a chainsword to the face.
After the posts started spreading, Mendelson reportedly scrubbed most of his online presence, deleting photos and accounts.
But the internet never forgets. His alleged banner art featuring cats under the slogan “full communism” is still making the rounds.
More Names, More Heat
Mendelson wasn’t the only Games Workshop employee under the spotlight.
According to reports collected by sites like Spiky Bits, other GW staffers also had their share of eyebrow-raising activity:
- Michael Brooks allegedly retweeted claims that political violence was inevitable, and that opposition figures like Trump were responsible for creating the “conditions” for it.
- Paul Scott Canavan was accused of going further, suggesting opponents’ spouses and mothers should be “strung up.” That’s not just political passion, that’s something out of a grimdark codex.
- Michael Brandt, reportedly a customer engagement employee, was linked to comments saying Kirk’s death might make the world a “better place.”
Taken together, the accusations paint a picture of a workplace where some employees aren’t just pushing paints and lore, they’re allegedly cheerleading for real-world bloodshed.
Fan Reactions
For a hobby built on dice, glue, and arguing over which Primarch could beat up which, the response has been volatile.
Long-time Warhammer players see the situation as part of a bigger trend of politics infecting their pastime.
One fan commentator compared it to the “Horus Galaxy” subreddit fiasco, where moderators were allegedly stripped of control by Reddit admins for not aligning with the “approved way of thinking.”
Others are pointing to recent debates over female Custodians and the appearance of miniatures painted with LGBTQ+ flags in official materials as signs of activist influence inside GW.
The argument goes like this: instead of just focusing on lore and minis, employees are allegedly using Warhammer as a stage for their personal ideology.
For players who just want to roll dice and shout “For the Emperor!”, it feels like a hostile takeover.
Inside Reports
YouTube channel Archcast claims to have spoken with sources inside Games Workshop.
According to those sources, Tom Mendelson has been described as a “hardcore activist” who openly pushes his politics at work, and has even tried to get coworkers fired for disagreeing with him.
Allegedly, he’s also helped bring more like-minded activists into the company, which some critics argue explains GW’s recent progressive stances.
now whether those claims are accurate or just gossip is up for debate, but they add fuel to the fire. For fans already frustrated, it fits their theory that the hobby is being hijacked from within.
Old Scars
This isn’t the first time Games Workshop has had drama around its employees.
Back in 2020, writer Thomas Parrott was fired by Black Library after defending a gay character against online ridicule.
At the time, GW said Parrott was “a poor representative of the brand.”
Now critics are asking why someone like Parrott got cut for defending inclusivity, but others allegedly celebrating terrorism and death are still on the payroll.
It’s a messy double standard that makes GW look inconsistent at best.
Zoom out a little and the Games Workshop blow-up looks like part of a bigger pattern across the gaming industry.
From Ghost of Yotei’s casting drama with Erica Ishi declaring “I’m Antifa,” to TV hosts like Jimmy Kimmel losing gigs over remarks about Charlie Kirk, the intersection of entertainment, politics, and personal activism is looking more like a collision.
Fans are exhausted. What was once niche escapism now feels like another front in the culture wars.
And with Warhammer specifically, the irony is sharp, a franchise built on parodying fascism is now accused of being run by people calling their critics fascists.
Fans Push Back
In response, some fans are doing more than just complaining in forums.
Emails of GW executives have been circulated (publicly available contacts, not leaks), with fans encouraged to voice their concerns directly.
Others are calling for boycotts, or at least pushing back against what they see as the politicization of the universe they love.
It’s not just right-leaning fans either. Plenty of people across the spectrum are uncomfortable with employees celebrating real-world deaths, no matter whose side they’re on.
The idea that “the Imperium is driven by hate, but Warhammer is not”, a line GW itself once promoted, starts to sound hollow if employees are posting things that sound hateful outside the lore.
So…
Games Workshop has not issued a public statement about the allegations. As of now, the accused employees still appear to be working at the company. That silence is only adding to speculation.
If GW acts, they risk looking like they’re caving to outrage mobs. If they don’t, they risk alienating a big chunk of their paying base.
And unlike a fictional hive world, you can’t just retcon angry customers out of existence.
A Hobby At Crossroads
The Warhammer fandom has survived edition wars, codex rewrites, and more arguments about “lore purity” than anyone can count.
But this situation feels different. It isn’t about whether a Space Marine can be female or whether Primaris ruined the game.
It’s about whether the people behind the curtain respect the players buying the minis.
The grimdark slogan has always been that in the far future, there is only war.
Right now, it looks like the war isn’t in the 41st millennium, it’s in Nottingham, in the offices of Games Workshop, and on every Warhammer forum across the web.
The big question is, can GW walk this back before fans decide they’re done funding the hobby?
Or will they double down, hoping the outrage burns out faster than a candle in the Warp?
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