Your duty is not yet done brother, the defense of the Imperium of Man is set to continue in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, the smash hit third-person shooter series set in the grim darkness of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, already has its third installment in active development just seven months after the release of Space Marine 2.
In a joint announcement by Space Marine developer Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Entertainment, as well as Warhammer 40,000 creator Games Workshop on Friday (14 March), Space Marine 3 is set to feature a new campaign and multiplayer modes while also promising “bigger battles, more action, and more enemies to purge”.
Space Marine 3's development being announced less than a year after Space Marine 2's release is very likely due to the overwhelming success of the latter game. The second installment in the Space Marine series sold 4.5 million copies in its first month and helped to spark a recent surge in popularity for the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, which also saw it get featured in Amazon's Secret Level game anthology series.
Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment also said that Space Marine 3 is “likely years away from release” but assured Space Marine 2 fans that there's still years of support coming their way. The list of upcoming content for Space Marine 2 promised by its developer and publisher includes new missions, enemies, and gear upgrades as well as the long-awaited Horde mode.
Specific details on Space Marine 3's gameplay, setting, and factions are, of course, “tightly under wraps”. With Space Marine 2 being set in the Fourth Tyrannic War, we can expect the upcoming title to be involved in another ongoing major conflict in the Warhammer 40:000 universe: the Indomitus Crusade. With that said, developments in the setting in the years leading up to Space Marine 3's release may give us an all-new setting altogether.
As for who the titular Space Marines will be facing, we can guarantee that one of them will be the forces of their archenemies: the Chaos Space Marines. We can also expect the Necrons to be a potential foe, if Space Marine 2's reveal that the planet of Demerium is also a Necron Tomb World is anything to go by.
"We have been honored by the incredible response from fans following the launch of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. We will continue to support the game with exciting content and regular updates in the coming years. Today, we are thrilled to announce that the adventure will continue with Space Marine 3. Players can look forward to an immersive campaign, a multiplayer mode, and innovations that will redefine the standards of third-person action games… We view this as an opportunity to create a true love letter to the Warhammer 40,000 universe," said Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment.
What is Warhammer 40:000: Space Marine?
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is a series of third-person shooter games that began in 2011. The series is set in the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40,000, where the Imperium of Man struggles for survival against an unending tide of aliens, heretic humans, and demons. Leading the defense of the Imperium of Man are the Adeptus Astartes, more commonly known as the Space Marines, a force of genetically-engineered superhumans clad in power armor that are organised into various groups called Chapters that wage war all across the galaxy.
The Space Marine series follows the titular Space Marine Demetrian Titus of the Ultramarines Chapter. In Space Marine 1, he led the defense of the Forge World of Graia as Captain of the Ultramarines 2nd Company against an invasion of Orks and the forces of Chaos before getting accused of heresy, getting imprisoned by a rogue Inquisitor, and later joining the Deathwatch Space Marines Chapter.
Space Marine 2 follows Titus as he rejoins the Ultramarines after completing his service in the Deathwatch and proving himself free of Chaos corruption. Now demoted to the rank of Lieutenant, Titus is accompanied by fellow Space Marines Gadriel and Chairon as they spearhead the defense of the Recidious System against an invasion from the never-ending Xenos tide of the Tyranids and the Chaos Space Marine legion of the Thousand Sons.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.
