By the name of the Emperor, it’s Warhammer Skulls again. For the second year in a row, Games Workshop has done an E3-style blowout showcase of its video game partnerships, both upcoming and ongoing. Below you can find every single thing announced at Warhammer Skulls 2022. The 13 main announcements include everything from brand new games, including a Warhammer 40,000 RPG, to updates on Total War: Warhammer 3 and Vermintide 2, as well as fresh details on Warhammer 40K: Darktide and Space Marine 2.
Someone has finally decided to make an RPG set in the Warhammer 40k universe! And that someone is Owlcat Games, the studio behind the rather good Pathfinder games. Rogue Trader is a classic-style RPG with all the usual genre staples; isometric camera, companions to recruit, turn-based combat, and a variety of enemies to kill and locations to visit. Little is known of the story or if a Black Library writer is involved, but your Rogue Trader protagonist is set to be joined by a Space Marine (a Space Wolf by the look of the key art), a Sister of Battle, and an Aeldari Ranger. No release date has been announced, but you can already buy a Founder’s Pack that guarantees access to the alpha and beta versions.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Announced
If the 40k universe is suited to any kind of video game genre, it’s the boomer shooter. The gothic, gory sensibilities of Warhammer just line up perfectly with the vibes of the original Doom and Quake games. And that’s exactly what we have with Warhammer 40k: Boltgun; a tribute to ‘90s FPS games with a grimdark future aesthetic. It’s coming to PC and consoles next year, and when it does you’ll be able to slaughter legions of sprite-based Chaos enemies using – naturally – a Space Marine’s boltgun. Despite the name, there are also other weapons. Just listen to the roar of that chainsword…
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – New Behind-the-Scenes Video
It may be the most eagerly-anticipated Warhammer game, but sadly Skulls didn’t serve up any new gameplay for Space Marine 2. What we did get was a behind the scenes featurette, but aside from offering some mo-cap footage and some hype from developer Saber, the video unfortunately didn’t provide anything new about the upcoming sequel.
Warhammer 40,000: Warpforge Announced
Developer Everguild, the creators of Horus Heresy: Legions, announced a new Warhammer-themed digital card game: Warpforge. Set to release on PC and mobile in 2023, Warhammer 40k: Warpforge is a CCG featuring all the major factions of the 40k universe, including the Imperium, Chaos, Aeldari, Necrons, Orks, and Tyranids. Each faction is explored via single-player campaigns, and can be pitted against your friends in constructed competitive modes. Expect deckbuilding, regular and time-limited competitions, and fast-paced battles.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide – New Cinematic Trailer
Darktide is just a few months away. Developer Fatshark has set September 13 as the release date, and so there’s not long until we can join up with co-op buddies and blast our way through the underhive. While the Skulls showcase didn’t reveal anything new, we did get a new cinematic trailer showing off Nurgle’s grossest creatures and even a little psyker action.
Total War: Warhammer 3 – Immortal Empires Is Coming
As expected, Creative Assembly will, ahem, assemble all three of its Total War: Warhammer games together in order to create a massive campaign with every single faction involved. Called Immortal Empires, it is set to enter open beta in Q3 2022. A new trailer showed off the mode in cinematic action, with most of the factions from across the trilogy present, correct, and firing magic/arrows/missiles/hellfire at each other.
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate Daemonhunters – New Skulls Weapon
Complex Games popped into the Skulls Showcase just to show off an accolades trailer for the recently released and well-reviewed Chaos Gate Daemonhunters. But as an extra tidbit, it announced that a new weapon has been added to the game in honor of Warhammer Skulls; the Ward Osseus, a new Nemesis warding stave for your Grey Knights to wield.
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef – Release Date Announced
A new gameplay trailer for the Ork-focused 2D shooter Warhammer 40k: Shootas, Blood & Teef was shown off, but the big news is that the game finally has a release date. Naturally, it’s coming out in Orktober. Er, we mean October 20, 2022. It’ll be available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. A newly updated demo is available now on Steam, and unlocks the Weirdboy class.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 – Be’lakor Chaos Wastes Expansion Announced
Fatshark continues to roll out support for Vermintide 2, and this time it’s a free update for the rogue-lite style Chaos Wastes mode. The Be’lakor expansion will be available from June 14.
Blood Bowl 3 – New Beta and Two New Teams Announced
Nacon and Cyanide Studio have announced that a new beta for Blood Bowl 3 will be held from today until June 12 on Steam. Six playable factions will be available in the beta: Black Orcs, Imperial Nobility, Elven Union, Dwarfs, Chaos Renegades, and Old World Alliance. The final two factions on that list are brand new teams, never before seen in a Blood Bowl video game. These new teams are also unusual, in that they are made up of characters from other teams. The Old World Alliance, for instance, is a collective of humans, dwarfs, halflings, and even a tree man. The idea is to offer flexibility, while also creating a little friction between the individual players (for instance, dwarfs may not play nicely with humans.) The same idea applies to the Chaos Renegades, which features a line up comprising greenskins, skaven, dark elves, and Chaos.
Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector – New Sisters of Battle Faction and Daemonic Incursion Mode
Slitherine Software announced that Warhammer 40k: Battlesector will receive a new Faction Pack DLC, which will add the Sisters of Battle to the game. At last year’s Warhammer Skulls it was announced that the Adepta Sororitas would be part of the game, but only a small handful of units were available in the base game. The Sisters of Battle DLC will add them as a full faction, meaning we can expect Penitent Engines. Additionally, a free update coming at the same time as the Sisters of Battle DLC will add a new endless horde mode called Daemonic Incursion.
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr Upgraded For PS5 and Xbox Series X/S
NeocoreGames announced that Diablo-like Warhammer 40k game Inquisitor – Martyr will be upgraded for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year. The new-gen version will include all 25 DLC packs and expansions, as well as enhanced features such as native 4K support, higher resolution textures, improved physics and destructible environments, cross-gen multiplayer, and support for the PS5 DualSense controller.
World of Tanks Warhammer 40,000 Battle Pass
Wargaming has teamed up with Games Workshop for World of Tank’s Battle Pass Season VIII, which will feature Ultramarines, Death Guard, and Evil Sunz Orks-themed rewards.
Warhammer Mobile Gaming
In addition to console and PC announcements, Warhammer Skulls also featured a dedicated mobile gaming section. Pre-registration was announced for Tacticus, a new update is coming for Horus Heresy: Legions, Cursed City is being added to Warhammer Quest, new modes and faction additions are coming to Lost Crusade, Chaos Knights are being added to Combat Cards, and Soul Arena is being updated with Captain Avalenor.
And that’s everything announced at Warhammer Skulls 2022. For more new video game news, check out our guide to Summer of Gaming 2022.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.
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