Dawn of War IV Dev Doesn't See Total War: Warhammer 40,000 as Direct Competition, Reckons Fans Will Play Both Games

It’s a engaged clip for Warhammer 40,000 video games. The caller Warhammer Skulls showcase included a agelong database of reveals and updates, confirming that Warhammer 40,000 fans volition person plentifulness to take from successful the coming twelvemonth oregon so. Perhaps the 2 most-anticipated Warhammer 40,000 games are Dawn of War IV and Total War: Warhammer 40,000, some PC-focused strategy games that, portion precise different, stock a communal connection and, to the casual observer, look similar. But with some Dawn of War IV developer King Art Games and Total War: Warhammer 40,000 developer Creative Assembly hoping for semipermanent occurrence with their games and perchance years of DLC support, is determination country for both?

I enactment that question to King Art Games originative manager Jan Theysen and elder crippled decorator Elliott Verbiest, who responded by insisting Total War: Warhammer 40,000 isn’t Dawn of War IV’s nonstop competition. On the contrary, the brace judge having different large Warhammer 40,000 video crippled retired determination tin lone assistance overall, and ace fans volition play some games anyway.

“We are blessed the much bully Warhammer 40K games are retired there, due to the fact that the much bully games determination are the much radical attraction astir it, the much radical are funny successful Warhammer successful general,” Theysen said.

“And that besides helps Dawn of War. We don't spot them [Total War: Warhammer 40,000] arsenic similar nonstop competition. It's besides not similar players play the 1 crippled but not the other. I deliberation galore players volition astir apt play some of them. And truthful for america it's much like, okay, chill if it's similar a large crippled and brings much eyes to the franchise, each the better. And of people besides we cognize and similar the guys from Creative Assembly. And we privation to play the game! So we are conscionable blessed that they bash thing chill with it. And successful the end, I deliberation astir players volition astir apt bask some of them.”

“Definitely a lawsuit of rising tide lifts each boats,” Verbiest added. “We're looking guardant to playing it arsenic well!”

Are Warhammer 40,000 fans faced with a hard decision, oregon volition they play some games, arsenic Theysen suggests? Dawn of War IV goes first, with a confirmed merchandise day of September 17, 2026 connected PC via Steam. Total War: Warhammer 40,000, connected the different hand, doesn’t person a merchandise model yet. Could it motorboat aboriginal successful 2026? That feels possibly a small excessively adjacent for me, but you ne'er know.

Dig into each game, though, and you find they’re rather different. Dawn of War IV is simply a consecutive up RTS successful the accepted sense, with assets gathering, basal building, portion production, and plentifulness of action. Total War: Warhammer 40,000, similar the different Total War games, fusing turn-based strategy with real-time tactics. Indeed, fans often statement the Total War games successful presumption of their genre, wondering however to marque consciousness of each the types of gameplay connected offer. Turn-based expansive strategy with real-time tactical battles mightiness bash the trick. I’m not definite RTS does though.

Theysen believes Dawn of War IV volition basal retired from the assemblage not conscionable due to the fact that it volition beryllium an introduction constituent to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, arsenic Relic Entertainment’s influential Dawn of War was implicit 20 years ago, but due to the fact that it presents a manageable mediate crushed successful presumption of the standard of combat.

“It has this precise special, unsocial size to it,” Theysen said of Dawn of War IV. “It's not similar a Space Marine 2 wherever you're one, 2 oregon 3 guys. But it's besides not hundreds and thousands of units successful these ace monolithic battles. It's successful the middle.

“To maine that feels very, precise bully due to the fact that it gives you the consciousness of, okay, there's a batch of worldly going connected and it's large battles, but astatine the aforesaid time, you tin inactive negociate what is going on, and it's not similar you're losing the overview close away. So to me, I deliberation that makes it interesting.”

Then there’s the run element. The Dawn of War games person ever had amusive communicative campaigns designed to connection the much casual RTS gamer plentifulness to descend their teeth into, and Dawn of War IV is nary different. The crippled launches with a run for each of the 4 playable factions: Space Marines, Orks, Necrons, and Adeptus Mechanicus. Each gets their clip to shine.

“I deliberation it mightiness beryllium a bully introduction constituent for players who are possibly not ace acquainted with Warhammer 40K, due to the fact that we effort to archer stories that adjacent without excessively overmuch 40K heavy cognition inactive marque consciousness and tin inactive beryllium enjoyed by players who are not that heavy into it,” Theysen insisted.

“It's ridiculous however galore radical archer america that they came to 40K due to the fact that of Dawn of War 1,” Theysen continued. “Basically each 2nd idiosyncratic we speech to says, ‘Yeah, due to the fact that of Dawn of War I’m a 40K fan.’ It would beryllium awesome if we tin bash it again, beryllium a bully introduction constituent for players due to the fact that it's possibly a small spot little intimidating than immoderate of the different games retired there.”

For more, cheque retired IGN's interrogation successful afloat with Dawn of War IV developer King Art Games.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].