It’s a busy time for Warhammer 40,000 video games. The recent Warhammer Skulls showcase included a long list of reveals and updates, confirming that Warhammer 40,000 fans will have plenty to choose from in the coming year or so. Perhaps the two most-anticipated Warhammer 40,000 games are Dawn of War IV and Total War: Warhammer 40,000, both PC-focused strategy games that, while very different, share a common language and, to the casual observer, look similar. But with both Dawn of War IV developer King Art Games and Total War: Warhammer 40,000 developer Creative Assembly hoping for long-term success with their games and potentially years of DLC support, is there room for both?
I put that question to King Art Games creative director Jan Theysen and senior game designer Elliott Verbiest, who responded by insisting Total War: Warhammer 40,000 isn’t Dawn of War IV’s direct competition. On the contrary, the pair believe having another great Warhammer 40,000 video game out there can only help overall, and super fans will play both games anyway.
“We are happy the more good Warhammer 40K games are out there, because the more good games there are the more people care about it, the more people are interested in Warhammer in general,” Theysen said.
“And that also helps Dawn of War. We don’t see them [Total War: Warhammer 40,000] as like direct competition. It’s also not like players play the one game but not the other. I think many players will probably play both of them. And so for us it’s more like, okay, cool if it’s like a great game and brings more eyes to the franchise, all the better. And of course also we know and like the guys from Creative Assembly. And we want to play the game! So we are just happy that they do something cool with it. And in the end, I think most players will probably enjoy both of them.”
“Definitely a case of rising tide lifts all boats,” Verbiest added. “We’re looking forward to playing it as well!”
