Licensed Computer Games Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II - Q3/Q4 2024

[Nephaston]

Crux Terminatus pauldron is from the collectors edition.

My guess is we can heavily play with Titus' and buddies loadouts and cosmetics in between missions.

[Casual Heresy]

2 hours ago, Kastor Krieg said:

Release date 09/09/2024.

 

Happy birthday to me (next year)!!

 

Really looking forward to the game though the delay is annoying. Have they confirmed anywhere the contents of the collector's edition apart from the DLC? Probably to early for that but I'm eager to know if I'm buying it or not.

[Joe]

I'd be leery of this releasing at all, to be perfectly honest. I could see Embracer scuppering Saber and using the game as a tax write-off given recent circumstances.

[TrawlingCleaner]

Yeah, Embracer going belly up doesn't look great for this game releasing . I'd imagine Saber have been told they're getting major restructuring like the rest of Embracer's teams and losing a lot of Devs hence another large delay.

If I understood it correctly, Embracer bought a load of studios and dev teams + a load of rights to big IPs like LotR and the Hobbit (alongside smaller ones like 40k) and then didn't secure a 2 Billion dollar influx of cash and are in the process of major cost savings and major lay offs

 

It doesn't look great!

Edited December 8, 2023 by TrawlingCleaner

[Halandaar]

I don't think there's any danger of it not coming out, personally. Even with the Embracer stuff in the background, it's most of the way done and has a fairly rabid fanbase waiting to pay money for it. 

 

Besides which, GW have their own interests in SM2 getting released and I'd be surprised if there isn't some clause somewhere that stipulates that the developer/publisher has to release the game or at least make it possible for it to be handed off in the event the studio closes or something.

 

 

 

 

[Kastor Krieg]

Embracer just murdered the studio that released Insurgency Sandstorm.

[WARMASTER_]

On 12/8/2023 at 9:04 AM, Joe said:

I'd be leery of this releasing at all, to be perfectly honest. I could see Embracer scuppering Saber and using the game as a tax write-off given recent circumstances.

Tax write off are only really a viable solution if you’re sure you’ll save more from the write off than the actual sale of the product and as they mention already having over a million wishlists so far I’m pretty sure they’ll be confident in the product and its ability to make money in its initial release + months even years after the fact with Paid content [Skins etc] and DLC’s

Edited December 9, 2023 by WARMASTER_

[WARMASTER_]

On 12/8/2023 at 6:47 AM, Nephaston said:

Crux Terminatus pauldron is from the collectors edition.

My guess is we can heavily play with Titus' and buddies loadouts and cosmetics in between missions.

While I really hope it’s true, last time the collectors edition came with a power sword but it was just for online PVP so I wouldn’t be surprised if this set was too 

[SalamandersBro]

I remember buying my copy of Space Marines 1 for $10 at Target. Wonder if this game will suffer the same fate.

[Marshal Reinhard]

Space marine 1 suffered from being shuffled out early because publisher thq was about to go belly up. Being pushed back, should hopefully mean another fate is in store.

[Joe]

To add to the concerns; another two of Saber's subsidiaries have seen substantial layoffs today. It's beginning to look increasingly likely that Saber's own development team will face another round of layoffs, which may threaten Space Marine II further.

[Petitioner's City]

10 minutes ago, Joe said:

To add to the concerns; another two of Saber's subsidiaries have seen substantial layoffs today. It's beginning to look increasingly likely that Saber's own development team will face another round of layoffs, which may threaten Space Marine II further.

 

Why do we not have the sad react anymore? :( 

[TrawlingCleaner]

Over 900 employees made redundant, several games cancelled and several studios closed (including the company that was supposedly working on a new Timesplitters) has resulted in only really a quarter of their debt covered. Ouch!

As I mentioned before, I'd imagine this delay is a the very least "We're about to have X amount less devs due to lay-offs so we need to delay this project to make up for it" kind of situation

[Jolemai]

If we can steer the conversation back towards the game, that would be grand.

[Mogger351]

On 12/10/2023 at 2:10 PM, SalamandersBro said:

I remember buying my copy of Space Marines 1 for $10 at Target. Wonder if this game will suffer the same fate.

That's the fate of all games over time regardless, most go that way outside of the big name studios/breakthrough games. I suspect unless space marine 2 is a solid 8/10 or somewhat genre defining with an empty release schedule around it, then it won't make big waves regardless.

 

September avoids the summer holidays wave of family games and the like, but is before the Christmas wave of big hitters, so it's a fairly safe window I think.

[Orange Knight]

On 12/10/2023 at 2:10 PM, SalamandersBro said:

I remember buying my copy of Space Marines 1 for $10 at Target. Wonder if this game will suffer the same fate.

 

You can do the same with most games. The only ones that don't suffer this fate are a few big console exclusives and some of the Nintendo franchises such as Pokemon.

 

I would be concerned about the game, however some online personalities who's opinion I trust have actually played it and say it's good - albeit unfinished and unpolished.

 

If this extra year allows them to polish the game, then I fully support that. First impressions are extremely important.

[Indy Techwisp]

Was having a conversation with someone about this game and they suggested that it's possible we see whatever the TSons are getting in 10th ed show up in the game ahead of time.

 

Probably not likely, but it's an interesting idea nonetheless.

[Nephaston]

Apparently a new variant edition for the game has surfaced. Respective Valrak vid (a mere 3 days late :D)

 

So far this one is for physical copies of the console version of the game. For PC they seem to want to stick to a digital only model, with most of the purchases there most likely going through Steam anyway.

When compared to the Collectors Edition it of course lacks the hunk of premium statuary, as well as the artbook, but comes with 3 days of Early Access, a Season Pass, and a steelbook with a design differing from the one in the CE. It also includes the "Macragges Chosen DLC" which is in line with tthe other physical edition.

 

The big new Info piece here is the Season Pass which grants access to equipment skins and "New Chapter Champions". What that actually means in practice is anyones guess; is this stuff for the singleplayer/co-op campaign, or the still officially secret PvP-mode? Skins could be for either, but unless "New Chapter Champions" means we control specifically designed Characters in PvP like an Apex or Overwatch I wouldn't be surprised this might be aimed at the story mode, allowing you to swap out Gadriel and Chairon for some new faces once you exhausted all the dialogue or similar.

Which, if that's the case, makes me wonder how confident the devs are in the time necessary to complete the campaign or its replayability.

 

Also, if Leandros is one of those "Champions" I'll probably comission a mod to enable friendly fire on that specific one.

 

 

On 12/20/2023 at 11:22 PM, Indy Techwisp said:

Was having a conversation with someone about this game and they suggested that it's possible we see whatever the TSons are getting in 10th ed show up in the game ahead of time.

 

Probably not likely, but it's an interesting idea nonetheless.

I had the same theory regarding new Tyranid units and the relative lightness on official material of the game as not to spoil model releases. But instead of a ramp-up of tyranids in trailers the game got delayed instead :,).

[Magos Takatus]

2 hours ago, Nephaston said:

Also, if Leandros is one of those "Champions" I'll probably comission a mod to enable friendly fire on that specific one.

I am pretty certain the Codex Astartes doesn't support that kind of action. :p

[Nephaston]

1 hour ago, Magos Takatus said:

I am pretty certain the Codex Astartes doesn't support that kind of action. :p

Sure, but so is ratting out a senior officer to the inquisition on a suspicion, instead of notifying a Chaplain and/or Librarian. So it evens out.

[Matcap86]

5 hours ago, Nephaston said:

Apparently a new variant edition for the game has surfaced. Respective Valrak vid (a mere 3 days late :D)

 

So far this one is for physical copies of the console version of the game. For PC they seem to want to stick to a digital only model, with most of the purchases there most likely going through Steam anyway.

When compared to the Collectors Edition it of course lacks the hunk of premium statuary, as well as the artbook, but comes with 3 days of Early Access, a Season Pass, and a steelbook with a design differing from the one in the CE. It also includes the "Macragges Chosen DLC" which is in line with tthe other physical edition.

 

The big new Info piece here is the Season Pass which grants access to equipment skins and "New Chapter Champions". What that actually means in practice is anyones guess; is this stuff for the singleplayer/co-op campaign, or the still officially secret PvP-mode? Skins could be for either, but unless "New Chapter Champions" means we control specifically designed Characters in PvP like an Apex or Overwatch I wouldn't be surprised this might be aimed at the story mode, allowing you to swap out Gadriel and Chairon for some new faces once you exhausted all the dialogue or similar.

Which, if that's the case, makes me wonder how confident the devs are in the time necessary to complete the campaign or its replayability.

 

Also, if Leandros is one of those "Champions" I'll probably comission a mod to enable friendly fire on that specific one.

 

 

I had the same theory regarding new Tyranid units and the relative lightness on official material of the game as not to spoil model releases. But instead of a ramp-up of tyranids in trailers the game got delayed instead :,).

 

Wait, a season pass implies a GaaS system. That fills me with more dread than usual...

[Jukkiz]

first space marine had pass things too, mostly multiplayer things like armorr, dreadnought dlc gamemode and chaos last stand

[Nephaston]

Yeah, a season pass is not exacctly a universal good sign and will depend heavily on utilization, implementation, and planning. If it, for instance, is focused on the PvP branch of the game and/or offers a good spread of cosmetics for a fair price it'll be fine. Then again one can assume this is a full price title so any extra spending will already be a big ask. (Or they partition the PvP out as free to play stand-alone, who knows). At the other end it could also be $20 passes for lazy recolours or even $5 to buy a colour or other insane "deals".

 

Though from a business side it is of course nothing but upsides; it helps with the cashflow which the shareholders will love, and it keeps the artists,modelers employed since those are usually done early during development and at best have nothing to do, or, at worst, laid off. So sadly, not universally bad.

[phandaal]

5 hours ago, Matcap86 said:

 

Wait, a season pass implies a GaaS system. That fills me with more dread than usual...

 

Definitely a red flag these days.

[DemonGSides]

14 hours ago, Matcap86 said:

 

Wait, a season pass implies a GaaS system. That fills me with more dread than usual...

 

Sometimes.  They have often called DLC packs "Season Pass" for games like Borderlands all the way back to Borderlands 2, and that wasn't a GaaS like Destiny or anything.