There are so many Warhammer games being announced these days that it's getting hard to keep track of all of them. This list covers some of the most notable.
Remember when there was usually only one Warhammer game every several years? Well, those days are long gone. Previously, THQ held the exclusive license to publish Warhammer games, but after they company sadly went bankrupt in 2013, Games Workshop, the owners and creators of Warhammer, decided that rather than constrain the series to one single publisher, they would allow anyone who presented an interesting enough idea to make something in the franchise. This has lead to an explosion of new titles as of late, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Just to clarify: there are two main Warhammer campaign settings. Warhammer Fantasy, which is set in a medieval traditional world, and Warhammer 40,000, set in a world that can be described as the more badly behaved twin brother of Star Wars.
With those details out the way, let's take a look at some of the most anticipated upcoming Warhammer games announced so far...
1. The Total War: Warhammer sequels
The first Total War: Warhammer game was released to overwhelming success back in May (it's already sold over 500,000 copies worldwide) so it shouldn't be too long before we start hearing news of the sequel.
Develop[ed by the Creative Assembly, the game took all the key elements of their strategy battle Total War series and combined it with the fantastical elements of the Warhammer World, making for one hell of an enjoyable game. It's still receiving regular updates and expansions, with a console release expected to be announced soon.
2. Space Hulk: Deathwing
After the rather brilliant Vermintide last year, fans are hungry for more first-person Warhammer experiences. So Space Hulk: Deathwing should satisfy that hunger. It has you taking on the role of a member of the Deathwing, a faction of the Dark Angels, who are among the most feared of the Space Marines, as you investigate a the secrets of a gigantic derelict vessel known as the Space Hulk, which has become invested by all manor of ungodly creatures.
From the looks of it, this is the entry on the list which is closely to a horror game, with it's dark, brooding corridors, copious amounts of blood, and all around eerie feel. Sure, it will have loud shooting sections, but it looks like we're in for something that puts most of its emphasis on fear and suspense.
Sadly there's no release date yet, so fans just have to be a little more patient. The time to send aliens monster back to hell will come eventually.
3. Corsair
Oddly enough, aside from the MMORPG's, we've seen very few open world Warhammer games being announced among the current explosion of games in the series. And that's a shame really, as both the Warhammer Fantasy world and the planets of the 40,000 universe are so rich and engaging that fans would love to have the opportunity to explore them endlessly. But there is one interesting looking open world game incoming.
Warhammer: Corsair, set in the Fantasy setting, is based upon the Man O' War tabletop spinoff. It will feature a large open area, but rather than letting you explore the world per se, it instead has you exploring the high seas. From the trailers and footage, it looks like it will be a mixture of the naval combat from the recent Assassin's Creed games combined with the open sea exploration of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
And they're particularly nasty open seas at that. That shark in the announcement trailer sure looked hungry. Goodness knows what else lurks in the depths of Warhammer's wide, open sea?
4. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr
Announced last July, Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr comes from Hungarian company NeocoreGames, who were also responsible for the acclaimed Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing series and the King Arthur Role-Playing games.
The brutal top-down action RPG has you taking on the role on an Inquisitor, a member of the Emperor's secret police force, and gives you the freedom to how you approach combat situations. Do you get up close and personal with your chainsword, or do you hid in cover and blast your foes from afar? The choice is yours and yours alone. Just make sure that you earn enough XP points to that you can upgrade your Inquisitor to make the strongest servant of the Emperor possible.
Set onboard an ancient, floating monastery, where dark and sinister forces are afloat (sorry) it's your job to purge the evil that now infests its walls. Because it isn't gonna purge itself, you know.
5. Space Marine Sequels
2011's Space Marine exceed all expectations and ended up being a fantastic game. Clearly inspired by Gears of War, it ditched the cover shooter mechanics that were so prevalent in third person action games at the time, instead focusing on all out action. This was a game were you really had to get up close and personal with you enemies and make them bleed.
It was supposed to have been the first in a series, but poor sales, combined with the closure of publisher THQ, meant that plans for future games were scrapped. Or were they?
Not only does the game continue to receive updates on Steam, implying that developer Relic, who are known for the Company of Heroes series, still have an interest in keeping it alive. At some points it was even given so many new updates and promotional offers that it seemed like they were trying their hardest to draw attention to the game. Not only that, but the official website was also temporarily taken down and replaced with a much more lavish and expensive looking site.
Seems like an odd move for a game that was already a few years old. Again, they seemed to want people to be paying attention to it. Could this be because they want to build up the hype train ahead of the announcement of a sequel?
This could just be clutching at straws, but when you consider that Relic is now owned by Sega, the publishers of the Total War: Warhammer series, and it seems like there may indeed be a renewed interest in Space Marine sequels.
6. Dawn of War III
The first two hugely acclaimed Dawn of War games were developed by also Relic Entertainment, so when they were acquired by Sega following the closure of THQ, the chances of a third game looked hopeful, so it's official announcement earlier this year came as an unexpected if welcome piece of news.
The real-time strategy war game will include playable classes including Space Marines, Orks and the Eldar, who are a futuristic version of the High Elves. They'll be fighting over a weapon of untold power, which has been discovered on the planet Acheron. Guess we'll find out what becomes of the conflict when it arrive son PC next year.
7. Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade
There haven't been many Warhammer MMORGs, so Eternal Crusade, which is now in early access on Steam, really does stand out.
Set on the Fortress Planet of Arkhona, it features third-person player vs player gameplay, so don't expect to make any new friends from this game. They'll be a large number of different races and factions to choose from, in addition to a huge array of weapons and vehicles.
The full game is due to be released this summer. So if you're getting tired of The Old Republic and feel in the mood for a new sci-fi MMORPG, then head over to Steam Greenlight to see if Dark Arena is for you.
8. Eisenhorn: Xenos
Announced early last year, this is the only entry in the list to have been based on one of the many, many Warhammer novels. Xenos, by legendary sci-fi writer Dan Abnett, known for his work on franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Who, follows the Inquisitor Eisenhorn as he tries to prevent an ancient text of untold power falling into the wrong hands.
The game will be a third person action adventure, utilising a mixture of both swords and gunplay, but if you don't feel like fighting yourself, you'll have a team who you can send to do it for you. Or if you really want to take the pacifist route, you can even take alternate paths to avoid enemies altogether.
At the moment it's exclusive to mobile, but it seems to have the look and feel of a big budget console game. So Pixel Hero Games must really be putting everything they have into it.
Oddly enough, Eisenhorn will be voiced by Mark Strong, who also protagonist Captain Titus in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. That guy must really have a thing for the franchise.
