Being able to see into the future is for the Emperor of Mankind alone, though even we lowly peons have reason to be excited for what’s coming to Warhammer in 2023. Over the year we can expect further details to emerge about the hugely anticipated Amazon television series, a strong line-up of video games, and, of course, a bunch of exciting new developments in the tabletop game that started it all.
But first, there’s a fly in the ointment that needs swatting.
Have Amazon and Games Workshop actually signed on the dotted line?
Back in December, fans celebrated when it was announced that Amazon Prime Video and Games Workshop would be collaborating on a Warhammer 40K TV show. The Hollywood Reporter said that the streaming giant had “closed a deal for the rights”, with Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Natalie Viscuso joining forces with Henry Cavill to bring both sides together.
But a new report in Business Live hints that we may have been celebrating prematurely, saying that “a final deal isn’t signed or sealed yet”. This indicates that while a preliminary agreement may have been made to begin development, Amazon and Games Workshop may not have fully committed to the finance and royalty agreements needed to make this happen.
We’re optimistic that this is more of a legal formality than bad news, as after getting our hopes up, we’d be distraught if this show didn’t happen. Then again, Cavill has been on a streak of bad luck lately, and after losing The Witcher and Superman, could the rule of three apply and his Warhammer dreams evaporate?
Fingers crossed we get confirmation that all is signed, sealed, and delivered very soon.
Hype builds on upcoming ‘Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader’ CRPG
The classic PC CRPG has been having a moment in the sun recently. Games hungry for the likes of Baldur’s Gate and Planescape Torment have been treated to the likes of Pillars of Eternity 2, Wasteland 3, Baldur’s Gate 3 and, of course, the excellent Disco Elysium.
Now Warhammer is getting in on the action, courtesy of Owlcat Games’ Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader. The studio made a name for itself with the excellent Pathfinder RPGs, and a new preview has left us salivating for its impending release.
The game tasks you with navigating Warhammer‘s notoriously bizarre and surreal political system from the perspective of a space pirate of the void given a warrant by the Imperium to explore uncharted space. This means that, unlike the vast majority of Warhammer titles, it’s less about caving in your opponent’s head with a Chainfist and more about dialogue and sly negotiation (though the game’s art indicates that if that fails a chainsword is your next option).
It looks the part, the developer has a sterling pedigree, and is currently in a private Alpha for testers. Rogue Trader should arrive sometime in the next few months and looks set to expand the universe in a bunch of new and interesting ways. We’ll be there.
Explaining the difference between ‘Warhammer’ and ‘Warhammer 40K’
Any Warhammer fan worth their salt will be familiar with the blank expressions you receive from the uninitiated when trying to explain what the hell is going on in this universe. It’s all too easy to get tangled up in talk of Psykers, Ork tribes and warbands, the Warp, and what the whole deal is with the millennia-old Imperium of Man.
Things get even more head-scratching the deeper you get into the weeds, for example, Chaos God Slaneesh in Warhammer is not the same as the Slaneesh in 40K. So we’re quite proud of our article that aims to spell it all out as clearly as possible. With the recent spike in popularity now that Henry Cavill is on board, we think a refresher like this is invaluable in indoctrinating your friends into this brain-melting but incredible world.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway is to underline that Warhammer (aka Warhammer Fantasy) and 40K aren’t connected to one another, and go from there. But, as any die-hard fan will know, once you’ve been bitten by the Warhammer bug, there’s no going back.