Warhammer 40k

It looks like March 2013 is the latest expected delivery date for THQ's Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online MMORPG. Rock, Paper Shotgun reports that THQ told its investors the sci-fi opus should see the light of day in the fiscal year 2013, a period stretching from April 2012 to March 2013.

While news of the far-future setting has excited some fans, others are put off by rumors that the extensive faction roster from the source material is being distilled to a more MMO-palatable pair of opposing organizations. However it turns out, we'll have to wait quite a while it seems and content ourselves with the slow trickle of WAR40K news.

Other MMOs are predictable, lazy and lack the real "feel" of combat -- or so says Vigil Games' founder Dave Adams. In a recent PC Gamer article, Adams and Creative Director Mike Maza share their vision for Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online -- and it's all about bucking the industry standard.

Adams had a few strong words for Vigil's competition: "A lot of developers see that as an opportunity to cut that corner because there's so much to do on an MMO. They think people care about X, Y and Z. They don't really care about the feeling of the combat... Our goal is when some guy's walking past DMO they won't instantly know it's an MMO. That depends on a minimal interface: it's not a full FPS but it looks more 'actiony'."

The devs confirmed that there would be a wide range of combat features in this action-based title, including fierce melee brawls, intense ranged firefights -- and no action bar icons of which to speak. The team is working hard to recreate the tabletop's iconic world into a virtual one, designing guns (stubber and bolter firearms) and player-controlled vehicles (Titan mechs and Predator tanks) to look deadly, used and WAR40Kish.

The game will kick players into the fight almost immediately. "There's scenarios that introduce you to your character class. We'll throw you into your very first instance, to get a feel for a very player directed experience. Then you'll go to your trainers and merchants, then drop down onto the over-world from orbit," Maza said.

You can read the full article at PC Gamer.

Hungry for information -- any information at all -- on Vigil Games' upcoming Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online? Did you watch the Imperium of Man trailer and gibber, "More! MORE!" So did we. Unfortunately, it was looking like we'd have to be content with hints...

...but fortunately, Games On Net cornered David Adams, Vigil Games' GM, and pumped him for further details. While Adams was reluctant to go into the specifics of gameplay, he did open up about WAR40K's engine, which is the same one the company used for Darksiders. The engine is being tweaked for the MMO, although Adams testified that it was already great with portraying a seamless world, which should be perfect for WAR40K's needs. DirectX 11 is also slated for inclusion.

So will the graphic requirements be low enough that the game could run on a toaster, or will it be a high-performance-only excursion? While Adams admits that the necessary graphic options will take a decent machine to run well, he's hoping to have as many visual toggles as possible so that WAR40K can reach a wider audience. He wouldn't say how many characters he expects the engine to handle in a certain area, other than to claim: "Big, it's 40K, it's all about big giant battlefields."

You can watch the full video over at Games On Net.

Tweet The Warhammer 40K crew has released a new trailer introducing the game's first playable race: The Imperium of Man.

"After centuries of exile, the Imperium of Man has returned to the Sargos sector," begins the trailer video. The planet Sanctum is the stronghold for man, and the humans are holding it against a host of enemies eager to take it back.

As always, while it's fun to hear all about a new playable race, it's even better to see it. With that in mind, the developers have put together a lineup of detailed new screenshots and a trailer video to introduce the race to players. Follow along after the jump to check them out!

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Danny Bilson, core games vice president at THQ, is rather excited by the prospects of Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online. In an interview at CVG, the executive talks about both the potential of the underlying intellectual property as well as the game itself. The title, currently in development at Vigil Games and fresh off a crowd-pleasing E3 trailer reveal, looks to appeal to a broad base of MMORPG games, starting with Blizzard fans.

"I've spent lots of time in WoW. As a WoW fanatic, I'm going to go right to 40K as soon as it comes out. It's very friendly to the WoW player," Bilson says.

In addition to aiming for the current market-share top dog, Bilson lets on that WAR40K is looking for approximately a million players in order to be successful. "They've got 14 million players! Gimme a million and I'm good! We're real good at a million, right?" We don't need everybody to migrate. We just need some of them -- and I'm full confident we're going to get them," he said.

We thought it best to collate our coverage into a complete and concise roundup post for your viewing pleasure, so read along after the cut to make sure you didn't miss anything. You can also check out all of our E3 galleries along the way.

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Let's face it: At E3, every studio, game and gadget struggles to be the talk of the show, but there's just so much going on that most exhibits and demos get lost in the noise. Therefore, when buzz erupts to eclipse the noise, it behooves the gamer to sit up and take notice. Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online is buzzing strong right now, like thousands of armored, heretic-hunting space bees, especially after revealing the trailer earlier this week. With the previously secretive MMO out in the open, fans are hungry for any and all details about this entry in the beloved 40k franchise.

Fortunately, Massively made fast friends with Vigil's Mark Downie, who was more than happy to spill the space beans about the look of the game, faithfulness to the IP and Warhammer 40k's release window. Buckle up, engage thrusters and hit the jump for the full conversation.

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THQ and Vigil Games promised to "fully reveal" the Warhammer 40k MMO at E3, and they're standing by that promise. Our first peek at this revelation comes in the form of a brand new trailer, as well as the game's title.

The trailer for Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online gives us the backstory: demons, aliens and heretics versus man. We get our first look at gameplay as well as the trailer pans through several different battlegrounds.

The trailer comes at the same time as a site redesign for Vigil Games, which brings a heavy focus on this highly anticipated game. Follow along after the jump to see the trailer, and keep an eye out for Massively's exclusive interview with THQ and hands-on demo of Warhammer 40k: Dark Millennium Online.

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We all know game developers love to announce big numbers. A million of this, ten million of that, forty million of the other. No thanks, says THQ -- our Warhammer 40K MMO will be just fine without all that.

The Warhammer 40k team is small and very experienced, so they have the advantage of skipping a lot of expensive trial-and-error, moving straight to building the game right.

In a recent conference call, THQ's CEO Brian Farrell pointed to the relatively low investment cost of the Warhammer 40k MMO as the reason that they don't need to aim for huge numbers: "We don't need the kind of subscriber levels that people throw around, like a million subscribers, to make a lot of money on this title. If we get anywhere near that level, we'll be making a lot of money."

Given the enthusiasm shown by fans of the title, they just might hit those numbers anyway.

"WoW-killer" is a cliched term these days, and many MMO fans continue to keep a weather eye out for the game that will take down the juggernaut of the gaming world.

No thanks, say the developers behind Warhammer 40k. Brian Farrell is the CEO and President of THQ, the company behind Warhammer 40k, and he has no desire to go after that title. "What we love about the Warhammer 40K MMO is that it's different in that it's a sci-fi, futuristic-based world. We're not competing directly in the orcs and elves fantasy environment that World of Warcraft is in. We can differentiate ourselves."

Farrell feels that there is plenty of room for more than one great title, particularly since the game is a completely different type of MMO. In addition to addressing the WoW question, Farrell also offered up some interesting information regarding the pricing structure for Warhammer 40k, indicating that it will vary depending on what part of the world you are playing in.

Warhammer40k will be revealed fully at E3 this June, but for now you can take a look at more of what Farrell had to say recently over at IGN.

Have you been looking forward to the Warhammer 40K MMO for what feels like forever? The people at THQ have been offering up small pieces of information since they announced the game a few years ago -- last April we finally got a release year of 2012, and just in December we were given some beautiful concept art.

Now we've been given even better news. THQ plans to "fully unveil" Warhammer 40K this summer at E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo will be at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year, from June 15th-17th, and if you were thinking of attending, this is a very good reason to hop off the fence.

THQ has kept the game largely under wraps for now, but the developers are pretty excited. Team member Joe Madureira promises large scale combat, tons of customization, and great-looking characters.

June suddenly seems a lot farther away, but we'll keep a close eye out for more news on the game until then!

After that, all was quiet again until April of this year, when a familiar name popped up on a list of release dates from THQ. Warhammer 40k MMO was given a 2012 release date -- subject to change, of course. Again, all was quiet after that, until now.

Yesterday, Kotaku received new concept art for the Warhammer 40k MMO, and while it's not exactly a completed game, it's a step in the right direction. The images include a nice look at character models and weaponry, so follow along after the jump to see for yourself.

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THQ just unveiled some release dates for their major game titles over the next few years and if you were getting excited for the Warhammer 40k MMO, you might feel a bit deflated after reading this. The above slide shows that WH40K is slated for a 2012 expected release date, which of course is subject to change.

We haven't heard much from Vigil Games since May 2008 about this title, but what we know sounds promising so far. The MMO's creative director is none other than comic book artist extraordinaire, Joe Madureira (side bar: my favorite artist of all time). Vigil hopes to stay as true to the tabletop experience as they can while still remaining an MMORPG. Finally, the world's primary weapons will be guns and vehicles may play a large part in combat.

While many fans of the Games Workshop miniatures game have found a familiar home in Warhammer Online, many others have complained that Mythic's incarnation of the Warhammer setting is not harsh, gritty, or dark enough. It will be interesting to see if WH40k can capture this or if Vigil will opt for a less mature environment (and rating).

So, I'm afraid that I'm getting a little close to burnout.

Oh noes. zomg. qq. whine. complain. Etc, etc.

In the past, I have suffered from serious burnout which resulted in me leaving World of Warcraft for six months or so. I'm still not sure how they survived without me. We've all been there, where the rewards for logging on just one more time aren't enough anymore. I say that we've all been there, of course that may not be true; but you're a rare specimen indeed if you've managed to play MMOs for any significant length of time without burning out for at least a little while.

I guess burnout doesn't have to be a bad thing. I only just got a Wii. Don't laugh, I know I'm a little behind the curve on that one. Spending less time on MMOs means that I'd have more time free to play through Resident Evil 4 on the Wii, which makes sense, given that I've already gone through it on the Gamecube and PS2. I could also go back and pick up Resident Evil 0, and the remake of the original. And the Gamecube versions of 2 and 3. And Umbrella Chronicles. Wait, they released Code Veronica for the Gamecube as well, didn't they?

Okay. I admit that I need help.

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This last week, I had occasion to wander past the local Games Workshop store, longtime home of Warhammer Fantasy Battle/Warhammer 40K merchandise and related goods. I can't be said to venture within with any great frequency, but something particular caught my eye, and I was intrigued enough to duck in and talk to the staff. You see, uncharacteristically, the store was devoid of customers for the first time I had seen since it had opened.

I spoke with Todd, the store manager, who told me that it had been like that for a couple of weeks. Customers and sales had suddenly dropped off, leaving the store empty for hours at a time. Previously there were customers passing the time, discussing products and their collective hobby for extended periods, as well as making purchases. Without warning it had all dried up. Todd and I toyed with the speculation that perhaps his regular customers for miniatures and related paraphernalia had simply chosen to join the epic battle between Order and Chaos online instead of offline, but came to no real conclusion.

So, what about it, enlightened readers -- has Warhammer Online curbed your time with the tabletop and face-to-face versions of this popular game, or are you still the loyal grognards and figure-fans you always were?