If Space Marine 3 Can Deliver Its Big Promise, It Might Be The Warhammer 40K Game I’ve Always Waited For

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 ended up being a huge triumph for both Saber Interactive, its developer, and the legions of Warhammer 40K fans, like myself, who’ve been hoping for a genuinely good game set within its legendary universe. Naturally, its enormous success got players and myself thinking about what would come next, and, luckily for us, it was a series of phenomenal updates that completely transformed the game. However, updates can only sustain a game for so long, and eventually, the fans want the next best thing.

We all quickly began imagining what Space Marine 3 could add, and how it would update the already ridiculously good formula perfected in Space Marine 2. From new enemy factions to new playable characters, the potential is endless, especially when it comes to the staggeringly sprawling universe of Warhammer 40K. Fortunately, Space Marine 3 is no longer a fantasy, but rather a reality that brings with it the promise of a game-changing feature I had once thought impossible.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 3 Promises Huge Battles

It Is Its Defining Feature

Saber Interactive has officially announced that it is developing Space Marine 3. The reveal came via a press release on the official Focus Entertainment website, which explained that Space Marine 3 is in the works, alongside a plethora of additional updates for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Most importantly, however, the press release mentioned one key change coming in Space Marine 3 that got my mind racing. The deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing, John Bert, explained that Space Marine 3 would be the biggest game in the series yet, revealing to fans that:

“Developed in close collaboration with Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 will take the genre to new heights by introducing large-scale battles that are even more spectacular.”

The crucial part of that statement is that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 is somehow introducing even bigger battles. One can only imagine what that looks like, especially considering Space Marine 2’s huge battles were one of its key improvements over the original, but I suspect it’ll mean that the larger battles seen towards the end of Space Marine 2, which were largely for show and were uninteractable, will better involve the player, allowing them to shred through thousands of Chaos alongside their brothers and Imperial Guardsmen.

Large-Scale Conflict Is The Core Of Warhammer 40K

It Is A Universe Of Endless War

A Space Marine lifting his knife in the air near a subdued Chaos Marine in Space Marine 2.

The reason why this is so important is that conflict, especially on the scale that Focus Entertainment is teasing, is the foundation of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The intro to practically every Warhammer 40K book – at least as far as I’m concerned – literally reads “For in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.” War is a fundamental part of this relentlessly horrifying nightmare universe, and large-scale battles play a key role in making that aspect of it believable.

As a fan of a lot of the 40K novels, especially The Fall of Cadia, and someone who used to play a lot of the tabletop game, as well as games like Battlesector and Dawn of War, getting to be a part of these legendary battles is a genuine thrill. The fact that Saber Interactive is implementing larger-scale battles in Space Marine 3 means there is potential for it to involve some of the universe’s most famous battles – including the Fall of Cadia – especially considering when Space Marine 2 takes place.

Space Marine 2 Already Set A High Standard

Its Battles Are Enormous

A Space Marine Marching a group of guardsmen into battle with explosions of a city in the distance.

Of course, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has already set a fairly impressive precedent when it comes to large-scale battles. While, as aforementioned, a lot of them are largely for show, they’re nevertheless spectacular to behold, and Saber Interactive did a phenomenal job of making you feel like a part of it, even if, technically, you were doing a lot of solo missions away from all the fighting. That sense of scale is what makes Space Marine 2’s campaign incredible and deserving of its myriad of accolades.

Naturally, Saber Interactive has to deliver on its promise of even more impressive large-scale battles. Without any reference points beyond those seen in Space Marine 2, I’m having a hard time imagining what that will look like. The developer certainly has the technology to pull something groundbreaking off, but until it is released – which, one has to imagine, will be in the distant future – I will remain hopeful. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 remains one of my all-time favorite games, and Saber Interactive has, for the time being, reassured me that its sequel will likely live up to expectations.

Source: Focus Entertainment