Warhammer videogames have been fairly hit-and-miss through the years, to place it mildly—however Saber Interactive’s Space Marine 2 was firmly on the ‘hit’ facet of the fence final yr, reaching a participant depend of 4.5 million a month after launch and drawing extra curiosity to the world’s most grimdark sci-fi setting than ever. Unsurprisingly, Games Workshop’s fairly proud of that consequence—and fairly eager to see it occur once more.
The firm’s half-yearly report reveals an unlimited rise in income from licensing within the 2023/2024 monetary yr—from £12.1 million to £30.1 million—with “the rise being primarily from Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2”. Even with the core enterprise (miniatures, rulebooks, and so forth) persevering with to growth, that makes licensing over 10% of the cash the corporate earned in that interval, largely off the again of 1 massive success. The report additionally means that the ensuing pleasure has led to “extra individuals coming into our Warhammer shops”.
Of course, you get a lift like that, and you are going to need extra. “We recognise that successes like these for Warhammer usually are not a given on the earth of video video games,” the report concludes, however provides that “clearly we’re in search of the subsequent one”. Elsewhere, it says “we personal what we imagine is among the most underexploited mental property globally” and lays out a plan to increase Warhammer’s attain going ahead, with movie and TV by way of its take care of Amazon, and a continued deal with videogames. “We intend to make sure Warhammer’s place as one of many high fantasy IPs globally,” it says, brimming with confidence.
How life like is that confidence? I’m somewhat on the fence. I can definitely perceive why Games Workshop would have a look at their wealthy, layered worlds, nonetheless having fun with a devoted fanbase over 40 years because the sequence started, and assume “absolutely these may very well be extra in style?” I do assume as properly that there is a massive viewers on the market of Warhammer followers who love the settings however do not need to gather the miniatures and play the video games, and people persons are maybe under-served (or underexploited). As far as I can inform they’re all simply voraciously studying the Horus Heresy novels, because it stands.
On the opposite, going greater with Warhammer is definitely simpler stated than carried out. Making it work on the massive or small display goes to be a severe problem—it is an extremely dense and actually outlandish setting, and making certain it appears each approachable and never, uh, ludicrous to a mainstream viewers on a comparatively restricted finances will not be simple, even with Henry Cavill main the cost.
More success in videogames is maybe a much less daunting purpose, however comes with the bags of a protracted historical past of fairly dangerous diversifications. For many, the phrase “Warhammer” in a videogame’s title would possibly as properly be a byword for “crap”, and it is easy to see how a scarcity of correct oversight from Games Workshop has contributed to that. For some time it appeared like completely any studio, massive or small, might get their arms on a piece of Warhammer to mess about with, no matter their experience or monitor file. At the identical time, the corporate’s involvement in these video games has often appeared minimal—in overseeing high quality and tone, but in addition in letting builders in on upcoming tabletop releases, steadily leaving video games feeling years out of step with the precise wargames.
There have already been indicators of that altering, nevertheless. Games Workshop appeared to be way more forthcoming with Creative Assembly for the Total War: Warhammer sequence, and even drew inspiration from it in their very own growth of the Old World wargame. Similarly Cyanide received sufficient of a peek behind the scenes for Blood Bowl 3 to make it up-to-date with the brand new version, even when delays and a tough launch slightly spoiled the try at synergy.
That form of tighter hand on the reins and better openness with licensees looks as if the trail to victory—and as a lifelong Warhammer fan, I’d definitely like to see the status of its videogame facet circled. Whether even that can result in one other hit as massive as Space Marine 2 is tougher to foretell. Though if all else fails, a minimum of Saber Interactive is already eager about Space Marine 3.
