THQ and Relic to unleash Soulstorm

Publisher THQ and developer Relic Entertainment have announced the third expansion pack for their acclaimed PC real-time strategy game, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War. Interestingly, the expansion is being codeveloped in association with Iron Lore Entertainment, the studio that developed the action role-playing game Titan Quest for THQ last year.

The original game, Dawn of War, was released in 2004 and let players command one of four factions in the brutal sci-fi universe created by tabletop game company Games Workshop. The new expansion, titled Soulstorm, will add two playable races from the Warhammer 40,000 universe, one of which will be the dark eldar, a faction of evil and sadistic creatures that are related to the universe's eldar race. This addition brings the game's full total of playable races to nine, counting the previous two expansions.

The new game will add air units, as well as a new "medal" system for multiplayer. It will also introduce a new campaign structure that will let players take a more strategic view of waging war through an entire star system.

The standalone expansion is scheduled for release in the spring of 2008.