Games Workshop knows how to come up with great game ideas that will also effectively support sales. From what I know, Warbands seems like a genuinely fresh and interesting way to approach the game, it really does, but it was also clearly designed to sell models. Cereal Thief, Games Workshop is making money from this because now a hero is required to lead every twelve models, which means you need a lot more heroes than before--with a blister of two heroes, or one hero mounted and on foot, typically costing as much as a boxed set. It's seriously expensive. It's also fairly clear that the boxed sets being restructured was also meant to create a larger profit from the Warband rules. You receive half as many models as before, but not for half the cost. Additionally, releasing five new sourcebooks, rather than one new rulebook, was also a very clever way to go. For people who have armies from all factions, buying all five sourcebooks is about double the cost of the current One Rulebook.

So, you're buying a more expensive boxed set of models, and are required to take an expensive hero to accompany that expensive boxed set. Additionally, you need a specific sourcebook to field your army. It doesn't mean that Warbands is bad rule wise, but it does mean that it likely had more than one motive--how can we revive the SBG with fresh ideas and tactics? And, how can we write these new ideas in such a way that will maximize profit as much as acceptably possible?

I am for simplicity. As it is, I find calculating points for armies a pain. I cannot imagine having to deal with each hero that have the ability to field different amount of followers. Yikes! Too much accounting time which takes away from playing time.

Firstly you always needed expensive sources books AND legions of middle earth and ORB... and white dwarf articles... and

Obviously the repackaging was to make money... gw is a buisness. This stuff has happened to 40k for hte last 16 years ive been playing.
The hero thing is also true.
BUT most people already had quite a few heroes but just didnt use them. Now we almost have to use them,

I wouldnt doubt there is a money motive but ultimately the current set of games designers do not sell theirs souls. They strive to create the best game they can with the best suppliments they can. (What kind of buisness doesnt try to make money?)

I already see many more third pary conversions and friends of mine turning away from GW game sand not buying any more models, for example in my area we have expanded in dystopian wars, infinity, dropzone commander and other small skirmish games that only require $200 and you have an army that you could never fully field unless you play some sort of appocalypse style game.

Aslo i think GW overestimates the fun of their games, because one part of why people play is to hang out with other games and have a good time, but if the game gets to expensive to play and people just cant shell out any more money they can always just play a cheaper gamer and still hang out with their friends