The publicity-shy boss of the company behind Warhammer miniatures and many video games has cast doubt on a new bonus scheme that has nearly trebled his pay.
Kevin Rountree, chief executive of Games Workshop, earned £4.4 million last year at the fantasy figurine maker, up from £1.5 million the previous year.
The pay bump, one of the biggest for a FTSE 100 boss, came as the Nottingham-based business entered the blue-chip index. Its shares have continued their stellar rise and are up more than a fifth this year to value Games Workshop at £5.3 billion.
Last week it posted a 30 per cent rise in full-year profits to £263 million and promised to open more stores around the world after cashing in on the launch of Space Marine 2, a video game that is based on its hugely successful Warhammer 40,000 franchise, set in the year 40,000AD.

Rising giant: Games Workshop has entered the FTSE 100 index and shares have continued their stellar rise
Games Workshop staff shared a £20 million cash bonus pot worth £6,000 each, but it was the media-shy Rountree, whose picture has never been published, who was the biggest winner.
He landed a ‘one-off’ bonus worth £2.2 million as a reward for his ten years running the company. Crucially, the award is payable in shares in three years if Rountree is still in the job and hits certain targets.
This type of share-based deal is common among other big companies, but it is the first time Games Workshop has made such a payment since it was set up in a London flat in 1975 – and Rountree seemed unconvinced.
‘The new policy is a big change,’ Rountree wrote in the company’s annual report.
‘Time will tell whether it improves Games Workshop’s performance and whether it is the right change,’ he added.
Rountree said he would continue to focus on ‘what is right for Games Workshop and our long-term success, not on short-term gains’.
Kate Marsh, who chairs the company’s pay committee, admitted that such one-off payments ‘can attract shareholder scrutiny’, but felt it was now ‘appropriate’ when compared to other firms of a similar size.
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