Get a change of pants ready: Total War Devs making Warhammer game

While checking my usual news sites I came across this little bit of info over at bluesnews.com about how Creative Assembly is now going to be making a game set in the fantasy Warhammer universe. No real details as of yet beyond that it's something they are going to be doing and that we shouldn't expect to see anything before 2014 at the earliest. But still, as a fan of the Total War games and Warhammer my mind is a flutter with how amazing a game they could make and I felt like I need to do my part to spread the word. Imagine Warhammer: Mark of Chaos only done for PC's instead of consoles and with a developer that knows what they are doing! The possibilities!

Here's a little quote from the Blue's News article, but head over to Blue's News to read the whole thing and a link to the source:

“With this year being our 25th anniversary” A new high-calibre development team has been set up at Creative Assembly’s UK studio to work alongside the existing Total War, Alien™ IP and Mobile teams on the first Warhammer title in the deal, scheduled to launch from beyond 2013.

“With this year being our 25th anniversary,” said Tim Heaton, Studio Director at Creative Assembly, “it seems fitting for us to embark on such a dream project with such a well-established partner. The incredibly rich and detailed Warhammer world is something we grew up with, and has left an indelible imprint on us as both designers and gamers.”

No word on what this means for Relic/THQ and their Warhammer 40k Dawn of War license and games, but from my understanding of the past Games Workshop have kept the fantasy and sci-fi properties separate when it comes to licensing the games out to developers. So I'm predicting they should be fine for the time being. Relic has done no wrong in my eye's so I hope they get to keep doing what they do and let Creative Assembly work on the fantasy side of things.

JIZZFEST

Total War with that diversity, that personality to it, heroes, magic.... wow.

I hope it has some extra customization to the units as well. Very, very exciting.

Yeah, I found out this morning. I pretty excited about it. Granted I'm more of a 40k fan but this sounds cool though.

Count me in.

Holy shit

@Seedofpower said:

Yeah, I found out this morning. I pretty excited about it. Granted I'm more of a 40k fan but this sounds cool though.

I will not lie I was a bit disappointed to hear that it was the fantasy Warhammer and not 40k, I just prefer sci fi to fantasy, but the possibilities of things they could do with magic and race specific gameplay is truly exciting. Plus I just can't wait to see a giant horde of thousands of Orcs rushing over a chaos tainted field of battle into a horde of demons and chaos soldiers.

Well this is going to be the best thing ever.

HOLY FLYING FUCK! 
 
BEST NEWS I'VE EVER HEARD !!!!!! 
 
I prefer fantasy to 40k so this is a dream. 

Until then, Chaos In The Old World still is the best strategy game with the Warhammer name on it.

@crusader8463 said:

@Seedofpower said:

Yeah, I found out this morning. I pretty excited about it. Granted I'm more of a 40k fan but this sounds cool though.

I will not lie I was a bit disappointed to hear that it was the fantasy Warhammer and not 40k, I just prefer sci fi to fantasy, but the possibilities of things they could do with magic and race specific gameplay is truly exciting. Plus I just can't wait to see a giant horde of thousands of Orcs rushing over a chaos tainted field of battle into a horde of demons and chaos soldiers.

I do prefer 40k to Warhammer but the Total War formula should be for melee. Relic already makes outstanding 40k games.

Having seen the early footage of Rome 2.... wow the graphics could be just stunning and with all the extra stuff going on in the Warhammer universe (races, magic, huge beasts, etc) it could be a crazy looking game.

:O

I like the Total War guys, and I like Warhammer... but I also really loved what Relic did in it's games.

It's going to be really hard to top.

Dammit, I just realized how stupid I was to say that, this is Warhammer not Warhammer 40k.

Oh well. All good news then. Great studio, great license (Though I prefer 40k.)

i hope they find a way to make their game-style more accessible without sacrificing the depth. i bought shogun 2 at release (having never played any of their games), and i've tried 3 times to make it through the tutorial. it's just so dry and dense- and i recognize it's probably my own failure to focus and commit- but that game is also impossible to just dive into cold.

i'll figure you out one day, shogun 2.

@ArtisanBreads said:

@crusader8463 said:

@Seedofpower said:

Yeah, I found out this morning. I pretty excited about it. Granted I'm more of a 40k fan but this sounds cool though.

I will not lie I was a bit disappointed to hear that it was the fantasy Warhammer and not 40k, I just prefer sci fi to fantasy, but the possibilities of things they could do with magic and race specific gameplay is truly exciting. Plus I just can't wait to see a giant horde of thousands of Orcs rushing over a chaos tainted field of battle into a horde of demons and chaos soldiers.

I do prefer 40k to Warhammer but the Total War formula should be for melee. Relic already makes outstanding 40k games.

Having seen the early footage of Rome 2.... wow the graphics could be just stunning and with all the extra stuff going on in the Warhammer universe (races, magic, huge beasts, etc) it could be a crazy looking game.

Its the scale in the Relic 40k games that is bad. If I play Orks I want 200 guys, not 15.

@Flacracker: That's why I prefer the original Dawn of War games to Dawn of War 2 where they turned it into an action RPG instead of an RTS. While still not as grand in scope as what I hope to see with this, it felt like a massive army of dudes clashing off in the original Dawn of War games. At least how I played that game.

@Flacracker: I wouldn't say bad, it worked really goddamn well. Dawn of War 2 is a hell of a game.

This is great news! Alright. I love the 40k games too. But something on a larger scale with the fantasy warhammer stuff would be great.

If it's like that shitty Warhammer: Mark of Chaos game I bought but actually good, I'm totally in.

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Flacracker: I wouldn't say bad, it worked really goddamn well. Dawn of War 2 is a hell of a game.

Yeah I think Dawn of War 2 is one of the best RTS games of all time. I'll trade that larger scale for the tactics that game had any day. But I'm not someone who likes traditional RTS any more at this point.

@ArtisanBreads said:

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Flacracker: I wouldn't say bad, it worked really goddamn well. Dawn of War 2 is a hell of a game.

Yeah I think Dawn of War 2 is one of the best RTS games of all time. I'll trade that larger scale for the tactics that game had any day. But I'm not someone who likes traditional RTS any more at this point.

I like Dawn of War 2, I just wish I could have more units on screen, even if it didn't change the squads stats.

@Flacracker said:

@ArtisanBreads said:

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Flacracker: I wouldn't say bad, it worked really goddamn well. Dawn of War 2 is a hell of a game.

Yeah I think Dawn of War 2 is one of the best RTS games of all time. I'll trade that larger scale for the tactics that game had any day. But I'm not someone who likes traditional RTS any more at this point.

I like Dawn of War 2, I just wish I could have more units on screen, even if it didn't change the squads stats.

Yeah that's fair enough I suppose. There were moments it got really hectic but it could always be upped. Maybe in the next Dawn of War. It will be interesting to see what angle they go as the series has varied. Or if it happens at all.... damn I hope Relic survives intact no matter what happens at THQ.

It's funny because I haven't heard it thrown out there but I have been thinking SEGA could be a landing spot for that studio as they have branched into Strategy games through Creative Assembly. And they have supposedly had CA working on an Alien game and I think we all know Relic could make an Alien game as they have a more direct history with that kind of combat.

Awesome. I call Beastmen!

B-b-b-b-b-b-BEAST-men!

My pants weren't ready.

All I want to know is... is this Warhammer game related to their Alien game. And if not, why not. Space Marines vs Xenomorphs! Is that so much to ask?

@Flacracker: I don't think that game lacked units on screen, it was just very easy to take your time through missions. If you worked to get really good bonuses at the end by constantly being on the move and getting into the fray, it felt plenty busy, but if you took your time picking guys off it felt a bit sparse. I think they hit the sweet spot for what they were trying. It wasn't supposed to be Starcraft, and it did a fantastic job at what it was doing.

@Andy_117 said:

My pants weren't ready.

All I want to know is... is this Warhammer game related to their Alien game. And if not, why not. Space Marines vs Xenomorphs! Is that so much to ask?

Because this is Warhammer. Not Warhammer 40K. There are no Space Marines. Orcs & Dwarves & Knights on horseback charging into battle. And fucking elves with fucking reapter bolt throwers. The scourge of my Chaos army when I played 12+ years ago. So yeah, a fantasy game rather than a sci-fi game.

Also, Tyranids in 40K are basically their take on the Alien aliens anyway.

40K>Fantasy!

I believe Sega/CA are making this deal in case that THQ goes under, so that they will get the 40k rights instead of someone else, which is a smart move, if relic can't make them anymore, CA is a great back-up, I highly doubt CA plans to do any of the other warhammer universes, I don't believe they are anywhere large enough in popularity to risk a full blown AAA title that a developer like CA would make especially since Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 are the only safe bet to test the water with.

Maybe I just have a natural fondness for the ruleset, but is it crazy for me to think that an interesting game could be made out Necromunda? Gang building in a crazy hellish underhive.

@ArtisanBreads said:

@Flacracker said:

@ArtisanBreads said:

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Flacracker: I wouldn't say bad, it worked really goddamn well. Dawn of War 2 is a hell of a game.

Yeah I think Dawn of War 2 is one of the best RTS games of all time. I'll trade that larger scale for the tactics that game had any day. But I'm not someone who likes traditional RTS any more at this point.

I like Dawn of War 2, I just wish I could have more units on screen, even if it didn't change the squads stats.

Yeah that's fair enough I suppose. There were moments it got really hectic but it could always be upped. Maybe in the next Dawn of War. It will be interesting to see what angle they go as the series has varied. Or if it happens at all.... damn I hope Relic survives intact no matter what happens at THQ.

It's funny because I haven't heard it thrown out there but I have been thinking SEGA could be a landing spot for that studio as they have branched into Strategy games through Creative Assembly. And they have supposedly had CA working on an Alien game and I think we all know Relic could make an Alien game as they have a more direct history with that kind of combat.

I just didn't care for Dawn of War 2 because the game was all about micromanaging spells and powers and stuff like that. I don't like that kind of stuff in my RTS and really lost interest in the genre after it seemed like War Craft 3 popularized the idea of hero units destroying everything else in a game and everyone doing the same. Dawn of War 2 was that idea boiled down to what if we made an RTS with nothing but hero units. I love an RTS that focuses on base building, army composition, unit placement, and stuff like that. Not who can memorize spell orders for 1-4 units at a time and can tab between then the fastest.

I'd be stoked if I wasn't all but sure that, once again, Bretonnians will be totally neglected & ignored.

Personally I play fantasy, and I'm glad they aren't doing 40k, mostly because I don't think it would work as a total war style game. WF has blocks of units, just like total war. 40k is squad based with guns... fits better with the games relic already makes. I'm not trying to say WF is better then 40k or anything. I just think fantasy fits perfectly into the total war style... and 40k doesn't.

@crusader8463: I never memorized spell orders because the abilities in Dawn of War 2 were almost ALWAYS A) more than just different kinds of damage and B) had pretty particular uses. The combat was more than capable of being dynamic, and if you were memorizing ability sequences, ya didn't need to and probably would have performed better if you had been more dynamic.

@forkboy said:

@Andy_117 said:

My pants weren't ready.

All I want to know is... is this Warhammer game related to their Alien game. And if not, why not. Space Marines vs Xenomorphs! Is that so much to ask?

Because this is Warhammer. Not Warhammer 40K. There are no Space Marines. Orcs & Dwarves & Knights on horseback charging into battle. And fucking elves with fucking reapter bolt throwers. The scourge of my Chaos army when I played 12+ years ago. So yeah, a fantasy game rather than a sci-fi game.

Also, Tyranids in 40K are basically their take on the Alien aliens anyway.

My bad, I wasn't paying attention. I kind of attach 40k everytime I see Warhammer now, and I call Warhammer "Warhammer Fantasy". So... yeah, that's on my reading comprehension. Heh.

Also, I know Tyrannids are already a kind of Xenomorph. That was why I made that joke.

@crusader8463 said:

@ArtisanBreads said:

@Flacracker said:

@ArtisanBreads said:

@MordeaniisChaos said:

@Flacracker: I wouldn't say bad, it worked really goddamn well. Dawn of War 2 is a hell of a game.

Yeah I think Dawn of War 2 is one of the best RTS games of all time. I'll trade that larger scale for the tactics that game had any day. But I'm not someone who likes traditional RTS any more at this point.

I like Dawn of War 2, I just wish I could have more units on screen, even if it didn't change the squads stats.

Yeah that's fair enough I suppose. There were moments it got really hectic but it could always be upped. Maybe in the next Dawn of War. It will be interesting to see what angle they go as the series has varied. Or if it happens at all.... damn I hope Relic survives intact no matter what happens at THQ.

It's funny because I haven't heard it thrown out there but I have been thinking SEGA could be a landing spot for that studio as they have branched into Strategy games through Creative Assembly. And they have supposedly had CA working on an Alien game and I think we all know Relic could make an Alien game as they have a more direct history with that kind of combat.

I just didn't care for Dawn of War 2 because the game was all about micromanaging spells and powers and stuff like that. I don't like that kind of stuff in my RTS and really lost interest in the genre after it seemed like War Craft 3 popularized the idea of hero units destroying everything else in a game and everyone doing the same. Dawn of War 2 was that idea boiled down to what if we made an RTS with nothing but hero units. I love an RTS that focuses on base building, army composition, unit placement, and stuff like that. Not who can memorize spell orders for 1-4 units at a time and can tab between then the fastest.

Spells? SPELLS?!?! They are no sorcelators!! They are psykers!

BURN THE HERETIC! PURGE THE UNCLEAN!

There's already a Warhammer fan mod for MTW2. I think it'd be cooler if CA got to do a Game Of Thrones or LOTR game. My faith in CA isn't is what it once was though. MTW2 and ETW were mired in bugs and poor AI. NTW was a step in the right direction, and STW2 was also decent, but I don't like some of the changes they've made when it comes to cities and their ability to diversify.

Nah , I'll change my pants when DMC comes !

I hope this isn't going to be a spiritual sequel to Spartan: Total Warrior.

That is epic news!

Yeah I heard about this news two days go. I'm still more excited for Rome II coming out next year, but I'm pumped to see what CA will do with the Warhammer fantasy brand. 
 
I'd personally like a different type of strategy game where it does have that large scene of scale in the battles that Total War is known for, but make it seem different. For instance, don't control groups of warriors into one unit that you do in Total War. I'd be fine if CA makes Warhammer: Total War, but I want to see if CA can make a great strategy game that's different in style compared to what they've done in the past.

@MocBucket62 said:

Yeah I heard about this news two days go. I'm still more excited for Rome II coming out next year, but I'm pumped to see what CA will do with the Warhammer fantasy brand. I'd personally like a different type of strategy game where it does have that large scene of scale in the battles that Total War is known for, but make it seem different. For instance, don't control groups of warriors into one unit that you do in Total War. I'd be fine if CA makes Warhammer: Total War, but I want to see if CA can make a great strategy game that's different in style compared to what they've done in the past.

This does have the room to be quite different even if it is similar.

Heroes, magic, potentially more customization, greater variety to unit types, etc.

I wouldn't assume this will just be straight up Total War at all. Sure the basics like the units will definitely be that but that's staying true to the source material.

awesome news, I really disliked DoW2 alot but loved DoW... a change of pace to maybe a more traditional style 40k game with huge armies is very welcome

@baldgye said:

awesome news, I really disliked DoW2 alot but loved DoW... a change of pace to maybe a more traditional style 40k game with huge armies is very welcome

Warhammer fantasy, not 40k

@MocBucket62 said:

Yeah I heard about this news two days go. I'm still more excited for Rome II coming out next year, but I'm pumped to see what CA will do with the Warhammer fantasy brand. I'd personally like a different type of strategy game where it does have that large scene of scale in the battles that Total War is known for, but make it seem different. For instance, don't control groups of warriors into one unit that you do in Total War. I'd be fine if CA makes Warhammer: Total War, but I want to see if CA can make a great strategy game that's different in style compared to what they've done in the past.

I was just thinking in response to what you said here though, my dream game just about is a Mordheim game... small scale fantasy tactical battles with RPG elements, exploration in that setting.... would be so awesome.