Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is one of the most successful games of 2024. Now the brand’s head is talking about the future.
How successful was Space Marine 2? Launched in September 2024, Space Marine 2 is among the most successful games of the year. On Steam, it has over 100,000 reviews and is 83% positive. The shooter is praised for its dynamic gameplay as well as its good level design.
Financially, the game has also paid off for the developers at Saber Interactive and publisher Focus Entertainment. With over 4.5 million units sold by October 2024, the third-person shooter has become a hit on Steam (via X.com).
The CCO of Saber Interactive even stated that Space Marine 2 fundamentally changed the studio’s perspective, and they now view things “through a different lens” (via ign.com). An important reason for the success is the combination of accessible gameplay with the faithful implementation of the “Warhammer 40,000” universe. Plenty of action and a fitting atmosphere seem to be the reason for the great success.
But not only the developers and publisher of Space Marine 2 have reason to be happy. The good sales figures also mean high revenue for the licensors Games Workshop.
Here you can see what content to expect in Space Marine 2 soon:
This is what the future of Warhammer as a video game looks like
What does the head say about the future of the brand? Despite the success of Space Marine 2, Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree warns against taking success for granted. In a recent financial report, he explains: “We recognize that successes like this for Warhammer are not a given. Of course, we are already looking for the next big title. However, we remain cautious in forecasting royalties.” (via ctfassets.net)
The reason for the good revenues in Games Workshop’s gaming sector is, according to Rountree, both the established games and the licensing revenues generated through Space Marine 2 and the racing game Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks. The high-quality gaming experience of Space Marine 2 appears to have fit perfectly into Games Workshop’s strategy.
In the future, the company plans to maintain the momentum gained from Space Marine 2 but wants to approach it with realistic expectations, as replicating such success is not guaranteed.
What about the next Warhammer game? After the mega hit Space Marine 2, Games Workshop is already working on new projects for the brand. One highlight is expected to be Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II, which is currently being developed by Bulwark Studios. Details or even a release date are not yet known.
Besides Space Marine 2, Games Workshop was also able to achieve a small success with Speed Freeks, a combat racing game by Caged Element. The game has 78% positive reviews on Steam. With a peak player count of 66 during weekends on Steam (via SteamDB), the player base, however, is very small.
With Space Marine 2, Games Workshop has set high expectations for revenue from the licensing business, so it’s logical that the company is on the lookout for the next big hit. A Warhammer MMO is also said to be in the works. What we know about it can be found here: A new MMO for Warhammer sounds almost too good to be true – Here’s what we know
