40K fans' cups runneth over with the new Total War announcement
Total War: Warhammer 40K was revealed at The Game Awards on Dec. 11
It’s a very good time to be a fan of Warhammer 40,000 and a gamer; in recent years, we’ve gotten bangers like Space Marine 2, old school boomer shooter Boltgun, Rogue Trader and the upcoming Dark Heresy CRPGs from Owlcat, Mechanicus, Darktide, and even a couple of Ork games like Shootas, Blood, and Teef and Speed Freeks. During The Game Awards on Dec. 11, we got another treat: Total War: Warhammer 40,000.
Creative Assembly have already delved into the works of Games Workshop for the Total War: Warhammer games set in Games Workshop’s fantasy universe. This new game is set in the modern era of 40K, known as the Era Indomitus. We don’t see too much gameplay in action, besides a few glimpses at large-scale battles in the ruins of a Hive City, space combat involving an Imperial Navy vessel, and an Ork WAAAAGH in action. It looks a little like the game might dabble in the 4X space; we’ll be able to conquer planets and manage resources, all the while maintaining supply lines and upgrading our space fleets.
The game will launch with Space Marines, Astra Militarum (the Imperial Guard), Orks, and Aeldari. Presumably more factions will arrive post-launch, as we saw with the Total War: Warhammer games. The very end of the trailer, referencing the laughter of thirsting gods, suggests Chaos may be up sooner rather than later.
What’s particularly fascinating about this release is it’ll be arriving in the same year as Dawn of War 4, another strategy game set in 40K. Dawn of War 4 will be launching with Orks and Space Marines, but their starting lineup includes the Adeptus Mechanicus and the enigmatic Necrons. Some fans are worried that these games might cannibalize each other’s audience — is there really room for two big 40K strategy games released so close together?
I think the answer is yes — as far as I’m concerned, this is a “holy shit, two cakes!” scenario. Neither game has a release date as of yet, but I’m excited to see more of each title. Dawn of War is restricted to the world of Kronus, while Total War is taking a larger look at broad space battles. We’re in a golden age of 40K games, and I think people will be happy to indulge in two flavors of 40K strategy, as long as each maintains a distinct identity in the genre.