Alleged Games Workshop E-Mail Reveals Company Doubling Down On Female Adeptus Custodes With Planned Miniature For Horus Heresy 3.0
An alleged accidental email from Games Workshop seems to confirm female Adeptus Custodes miniatures are coming in 2025 in a double down on the feminization of Warhammer 40,000.
This week, the Warhammer 40,000 community started buzzing that perhaps Games Workshop might be walking back their change of the lore to where there are female Adeptus Custodes when the original works always stated they were male.
This occurred after a screenshot of Warhammer 40,000: The Ultimate Guide was shared to X by WokehammerLs which states, “As a Legion of exceptional individuals, the Adeptus Custodes are less regimented than other Imperial forces, with promotion based entirely on merit. The captain-general leads, aided by a group of ten tribunes. Below the tribunate, commanders of individual forces are known as shield-captains. Armies, or shield hosts, are formed from across all five orders. Dozens of other sub-organisations, brotherhoods, and grouping run through the orders such as the [redacted] Wardens, Shadowkeepers, or Solar Watch.”
Another excerpt stated, “As Custodians accumulate victories, they are awarded a name to commemorate each one, though these are kept secret from those outside the Legion, and in public a Custodian will continue to use the name granted to him upon his investiture.”
However, the writer of the book, Gav Thorpe, was asked about the situation on BlueSky and he quickly squashed any notion about this being a reversal of Games Workshop pushing female Custodes. He replied, “Yes, of course they are. Not every miniature is included and I don’t recall exactly but we may have already finished that section when the series / miniature went public (DK didn’t have access to pre-release pics).”
This fueled internet speculation that female Adeptus Custodes miniatures were in the works, something that has not been done yet despite the change in the 10th edition lore books to include them as well as showing one in the animated short, the Tithe.
Further fueling the rumors, a Warhammer 40K fan account, CryptaMiniatures on X posted, “Umm you do know they released a show about it, they have an entire release coming with female Custodes next year for Horus Heresy 3.0 even.”
When questioned about this assertion, the account posted what he claims to be a portion of a mistake email from Games Workshop detailing a planned release for June 2025 which says, “Horus Heresy 3.0 campaign: the introduction of a female Cusdoes Tribune to lead a specialized contingent of the Legio Custodes… …the possibility of portraying a Custodes Tribune who defies expectations—showing that the Empire’s elite defenders might be mo…”
Several fans questioned the authenticity of this email, though CryptaMiniatures maintains it’s correct and that there are about 30 more items listed in the email from Games Workshop as a plan for upcoming releases throughout 2025.
He posted about it again, “Just fyi, "FemStodes" aren't going away, at all. In fact, Games Workshop is going to be doubling down after 3.0 releases of HH with more Custodes updates and moving everything to plastic from Resin. Custodes 3.0 Tribune is rumored to have female head option per accidental e-mail. #WarhammerCommunity”
Fandom Pulse reached out to CryptaMiniatures asking if there’s further confirmation we could be given, and he maintains the screenshot is very real and that Games Workshop is investigating the incident as to how it got out.
He provided more information about the supposed Horus Heresy 3.0 campaign, however, stating Dark Mechanisms will be the “big bad” of this iteration.
What do you think of the supposed incoming female Custodes Tribune figures coming from Games Workshop? Leave a comment and let us know.
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GW fanbugs will continue to make excuses about why they squander their money on new books and miniatures long after this latest betrayal is complete. They are not fixable.
The account you're using as a source has failed to provide the email in question. There is no other source corroborating the account's rumor and it is likely fraudulent.