GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Warhammer 40,000 game license extended

THQ, Games Workshop renew long-standing exclusive agreement in "multi-year" deal for sci-fi franchise, which has sold 6.5 million units to date.

46 Comments

With Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine due out this summer and Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online still in development, THQ has plenty of Warhammer 40,000 titles in the works. However, that didn't stop the Santa Monica-based publisher from today announcing it had extended its licensing deal for the intellectual property with IP creator Games Workshop.

Today's deal paves the way for more Warhammer 40,000 games from THQ.
Today's deal paves the way for more Warhammer 40,000 games from THQ.

Details on the Warhammer 40,000 extension were vague beyond the fact it was a "multi-year deal" that gives THQ exclusive rights to publish games based on the IP. The agreement covers the full gamut of platforms, including mobile, social, and core games.

Though it began life as a tabletop war game in the 1980s, the Warhammer 40,000 series has found success in the video game realm. After Strategic Simulations (SSI) released several games based on the franchise in the 1990s, THQ took over the IP in 2001. After the poorly reviewed shooter Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior shipped in 2003, the publisher shifted focus to real-time strategy titles. To date, that series, including the just-released critical hit Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Retribution, has sold 6.5 million units to date.

Starting this year, THQ is looking to once again expand the Warhammer 40,000 series outside the RTS genre with Space Marine, an action role-playing game for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 from internal developer Relic (Retribution). That expansion will continue with the massively multiplayer role-playing game Dark Millennium Online, currently in the works at Vigil Games (Darksiders). That project, however, has yet to receive a release date.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
00:00:00
Sorry, but you can't access this content!
Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 46 comments about this story