Creative Assembly and SEGA Group have entered into a multi-title licensing deal with Games Workshop

[Londinium]

I'm pretty excited about this news. Warhammer Fantasy lends itself perfectly for an Total War esque style, but I hope they do some things different though. Maybe less campaign map stuff because I feel the combat and battle styles are just more important in Warhammer.

Also the 40K license will stay with THQ for a while, because they are still working on that dark millenium game which transblended into an singlepayer game (Space Marine 2, perhaps?) Also I can see a Dawn of War 3 announcement coming after CoH2 releases.
Either way, should THQ go down with their problems, the 40K license and relic studio MUST be saved. I wonder if Sega has the money though..

I'm dubious as to whether we're ever going to see Dark Millenium, changing a game from an MMORPG to a single player action game is a much bigger deal than has been reported. They're gonna have to pretty much rip the game to pieces and put it back together, the only stuff that will really be easily reutilised are the graphics and various areas they've already built. I think it's 50/50 that we won't see it before THQ goes under.

Sega probably doesn't have the money to buy out THQ, it's not exactly in rude health itself, it's been pretty mismanaged since it went third party (buying CA and SI aside). More than likely THQ will go down and then the vultures will pick the carcass clean with a number of companies buying different IPs. I imagine the GW/THQ deal will have a clause where if THQ go bankrupt the license is automatically cancelled, I can't see GW wanting any random company to be able to pick up the 40k license without some input.

[Lord of Lost Socks]

I'd rather see a 40k one, really. But I'll take fantasy aswell..

Anyone remember shadow of the horned rat or dark omen?

Oh yes. I bought Shadow of the Horned Rat in Germany. It'll always be known as Im Shatten der Gehörnten Ratte

Anyway. Final Liberation beats both.

[Karabekian]

Anyway. Final Liberation beats both.

This! Despite its age, the only single 40k game that has a reasonably accurate cutscenes.

[Elyrioth]

Have to say I loved Final Liberation, not as good as the Epic itself, but still fun.
They need a DoW with Titans

[Påsan]

This! Despite its age, the only single 40k game that has a reasonably accurate cutscenes.

Not to be picky or anything, but what is wrong with the cut-scenes in Space Marine lore-wise?

I agree on it being a rather simple one-sided action game which is rather fun in a "guilty pleasure" sort of way, but the lore is largely spot on is it not? It even have a shout out to Blood Ravens and Black Templars

[Karabekian]

Not to be picky or anything, but what is wrong with the cut-scenes in Space Marine lore-wise?

I agree on it being a rather simple one-sided action game which is rather fun in a "guilty pleasure" sort of way, but the lore is largely spot on is it not? It even have a shout out to Blood Ravens and Black Templars

Well I think there are some problems related to rank, there is Imperial guard directly addressing Marines (even call them HUMAN!), Marines questioning orders, Marines and humans that seem to have a strangely high amount of knowledge in how Chaos works.. All in all, the Marines are lackluster... IG on a forge world, Orks looting Titans (and apparently the forge worlds operations are common knowledge to everyone anyway...).

In Final Liberation they are old fashioned, but I think they are rather accurate compared to SM. In 40k there is no common ground. The NN, SM, IG, IN, I, AM you name it are all states within a state, in constant friction between each other. Then each of these factions have their inner differences, different cultures etc. etc. In Final liberation I think this works well (or better).

Of course again I can not speak for DoW2.

[Col. Tartleton]

This is filthy, I'm going to need a bath.

While we're rabidly speculating... Naval Warfare is going to be insane. The HMS Warrior is going to look small now. Not to mention the style they're going to have to do the UI.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

That little ship is a full blown "Great Ship" Carrack the size of the Mary Rose. Warhammer's got aircraft carrier sized pirate ships with thousands of crew and hundreds of guns.

Thousands of skaven running around manning warp lightning cannons, festooned with warplocks, jezzails in the rigging, daggers clenched between their jagged teeth...

Giant Nehekharan galleys with massive WMD grade laser weaponry.

Gigantic elemental daemonology being conjured by Arabyan sorcerors...

Flying ships crewed by the damned.

Dwarfen Ironclads with zeppelins and ironbreaker boarding parties.

The HMS Tenacle Rape, crewed by a mad possessed dwarf.

An Elven ship with it's own personal cadre of dragons...

They said they're going to do it unlike anyone before (I'm sure just like every company who has ever done it before). I hope that means they're going to make everything look like a John Blanche/Alex Boyd horror show. They've got to get the grimdark up.

I want an M rating for Gibbering Cosmic Horrors and Antediluvian Eldritch Abominations. Gore, boobs (where appropriate for the setting, not just because), and strong language would help too.

Interactive battlefields (damn it that forest is eating my knights), stupidly powerful magic,

[Shaio]

That post col made me realize the insane amount of work that'd have to go into a warhammer tw game, and how much id live to play it.

The mind boggles when I consider the amount of animations involved, whole sets for every weapon for skaven, maybe several sets of animations for beast-men, and muants, different set for chaos champions, yet another set for daemoned up chaos champions, plus the normal ones for the various human groups.

I can't help think it must be something of a smaller scope, or maybe even an action game... otherwise it is a really massive undertaking.

Totally agreed on the potential for truly epic naval battles.

[Lord Baal]

Well, ask the Call of Warhammer team about it!

[Col. Tartleton]

Well, ask the Call of Warhammer team about it!

They're doing the best they can to tinker on Medieval 2.

We're going to be looking at a game engine designed (at least another altered Warscape engine) for Warhammer which will be better looking than Rome II by default.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Things are going to escalate. We're talking crazy.

[Londinium]

I'm dubious as to whether we're ever going to see Dark Millenium, changing a game from an MMORPG to a single player action game is a much bigger deal than has been reported. They're gonna have to pretty much rip the game to pieces and put it back together, the only stuff that will really be easily reutilised are the graphics and various areas they've already built. I think it's 50/50 that we won't see it before THQ goes under.

Sega probably doesn't have the money to buy out THQ, it's not exactly in rude health itself, it's been pretty mismanaged since it went third party (buying CA and SI aside). More than likely THQ will go down and then the vultures will pick the carcass clean with a number of companies buying different IPs. I imagine the GW/THQ deal will have a clause where if THQ go bankrupt the license is automatically cancelled, I can't see GW wanting any random company to be able to pick up the 40k license without some input.

...and...here...we...go!

I wouldn't be surprised to see the 40k license in someone else's hands by the end of the year now THQ is bankrupt and knowing the track record of venture capitalists in running games companies, will probably go bankrupt again within a year or two. Although I don't think SEGA or CA will go in for that license.

Also noteworthy is that in their bankruptcy documents THQ had to file details on all their future games and how much they were going to cost and estimated sales. Games that aren't even officially announced like 1666 were included...Dark Millenium was nowhere to be seen.

[Lord Baal]

1666? What?

[Londinium]

1666? What?

It's a game in development from the guy that created Assassin's Creed. I wouldn't get too excited about it though, I doubt we'll be seeing it now. I'm guessing from the name that it was going to have something to do with the Great Fire of London, although what, who knows?

[SkyTrickster]

...and...here...we...go!

I wouldn't be surprised to see the 40k license in someone else's hands by the end of the year now THQ is bankrupt and knowing the track record of venture capitalists in running games companies, will probably go bankrupt again within a year or two. Although I don't think SEGA or CA will go in for that license.

Also noteworthy is that in their bankruptcy documents THQ had to file details on all their future games and how much they were going to cost and estimated sales. Games that aren't even officially announced like 1666 were included...Dark Millenium was nowhere to be seen.

I don't have much knowledge of this but they did some 'trick' they don't go bankrupt, but are being bought up by a middle party, clearlake capital. it's kinda like a delayment of payment. They can continue develop their games for a while (atleast the ones that are known at the moment). And their sales will decide the fate of THQ. Either they fail and disappear from the stage, or they sell enough to make a second beginning. A lot of companies went through this proces actually.

[Londinium]

I don't have much knowledge of this but they did some 'trick' they don't go bankrupt, but are being bought up by a middle party, clearlake capital. it's kinda like a delayment of payment. They can continue develop their games for a while (atleast the ones that are known at the moment). And their sales will decide the fate of THQ. Either they fail and disappear from the stage, or they sell enough to make a second beginning. A lot of companies went through this proces actually.

Technically it's a specific kind of bankruptcy, Chapter 11, what Chrysler and GM did a few years back. ClearLake Capital is the 'stalking horse' which means any other company can also put in a bid in the next 60 days and according to games websites Ubisoft is kicking the tyres. Either way it looks as though THQ will cease to exist as we know it, either Ubisoft takes it over (flush with ACIII cash) or ClearLake does...and venture capital groups aren't exactly well known for keeping hold of their investments for a long time.

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

Well if Ubisoft takes over or whoever buys THQ and their assest, 40k is still in the hands of GW and I don't think they will hand that over to CA as well.
40k fits the style that the Dawn of War games have so they will probably give it to someone who is better at it.
A Bethesda ala Skyrim game set in the 40k world would be awesome or give it to Sony and the team that made Planetside 2 so maybe we will see Dark Millenium afterall.

[Zack-Stefy]

rts ( total war campaign, battles) + hack&slash( control the hero)! <3

[Shaio]

rts ( total war campaign, battles) + hack&slash( control the hero)! <3

So a mix of total war, and kingdom under fire?

I dunno about controlling a hero in battle... They'd have to change the engine alot for that, i mean direct control of cannons in one thing but melee combat strikes me as very hard to implement well.

[IZob]

Warhammer: Total War

I like the sound of that.

I hope the first game will be like the other Total War series. It would be better then R2:TW, 10x better, no 100x better. The campaign would be quite awesome, given enough detail and size.

[Elyrioth]

I just want to see gobbo fanatics smashing through knights and doom divers going splat. If Vampire Counts are not playable I will do a dirty protest. CA you have been warned