Ever since Battlefront Miniatures took over distribution and marketing of Dust from Fantasy Flight Games, the question of who actually owns Dust Warfare has circulated within the Dust community and outside of it. There has been a lot of rumour and misinformation on this subject on forums, in social media, and in YouTube videos, too.
With this in mind, I set out to clarify what has actually happened with the Dust Warfare rights. I shot an email over to FFG, and John Grams, Senior VP of Business Development, kindly replied with some answers to the overall question: Who owns Dust Warfare?
Unit Forward: Does FFG hold any rights to Dust Warfare?
Fantasy Flight Games: FFG only has the rights to continue selling our currently existing inventory of Dust Warfare books.
UF: If FFG does not hold any rights to Dust Warfare, where were they transferred to?
FFG: The rights for Dust Warfare reverted back to the originator Dust Studio.
UF: Does FFG have any say over what Battlefront can or can’t make for Dust Warfare? For example, could you or would you prevent Battlefront from publishing a second edition of Dust Warfare?
FFG: FFG does not have any right to dictate what Battlefront Miniatures does with Dust Warfare. However, Battlefront Miniatures is contractually obligated to not publish anything that would devalue FFG’s current inventory.
UF: Is there an agreement in place that says Battlefront can’t use or republish any Dust Warfare material that was previously published by FFG until FFG sells out of those books?
FFG: Yes you are correct that Battlefront Miniatures is not allowed to publish material previously published by FFG until FFG sells out of that particular supplement.
Big thanks to John for taking the time to answer those questions.
So, there we are. The rights to Dust Warfare are currently with Dust Studio, and Battlefront can publish new Dust Warfare material, which they have obviously done with Operation Achilles and beyond. FFG’s only remaining interest in Dust Warfare is to sell their remaining stock of the rulebook and campaign books. Despite what you might have heard, Warfare is not “FFG’s game that they’re not going to do anything with”.
Hopefully, this article has clarified the situation around Dust Warfare, and we can all move on from the rumours and uncertainty. Whenever you see someone make a false statement about the Dust Warfare rights, be sure to point them here!
