The Ultramarine is out of the bag – Space Marine 2 is coming soon, and it looks awesome. In this sequel to one of the best Warhammer video games of all time, developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment, you will once again pick up your bolter and chainsword as Titus, clobbering all who stand in your way.* To find out more, we spoke to two developers from Saber, Andrey and Aleksandra, about what it’s like to develop a sequel to such an iconic game and what we can expect to see…
Warhammer Community: Welcome, Andrey! Tell us a bit about your role on the Space Marine 2 team?
Andrey: I’m a gameplay programmer and the lead of our combat team. We’re responsible for the implementation of melee combat, shooting mechanics, and basically everything related to killing hordes of Tyranids.
WarCom: Were you a big fan of Warhammer when you started on the project?
Andrey: Before starting on the project I actually didn’t know much about the universe… I’d played Dawn of War** a while back and that’s probably it. But I quickly became a fan. One day I was looking for something to read and decided to try the Horus Heresy series. And now… well, I’m 34 books deep. It’s quite the rabbit hole.
WarCom: What do you think makes Warhammer 40,000 so appealing?
Andrey: For me, it's one of the deepest and most expansive universes out there. Of course, it’s also very, very dark. One of my favourite things in the books is how detailed the characters all are and how you can follow the development of their lives over the years.
WarCom: What would you say is the biggest way Space Marine 2 improves on the first game?
Andrey: As a member of a combat team I’d say it's the combat system… But overall, it's actually the scale of everything. Space Marine 2 is much more epic than its predecessor in every single way.
WarCom: What do you think made the first game so beloved?
Andrey: It's the power fantasy of being a Space Marine. Clomping around in massive armour, stomping evil, and being a one-man army. The first game got that right and we’re staying true to that in Space Marine 2 as well.
WarCom: How do you go about capturing the immense power of the Adeptus Astartes in-game?
Andrey: We want to give the player the feeling that they’re a big unstoppable death-dispensing warrior. All the combat systems, animations, and enemy behaviours are created with that clear purpose in mind. The feel when playing is essential. It’s about weight, momentum, and impact.
WarCom: Thanks, Andrey! Art producer Aleksandra now joins us as a long-time Warhammer fan. Aleksandra, what’s your role in the development of Space Marine 2?
Aleksandra: I’m responsible for the art production of all assets in the game, and I work with Games Workshop to make sure that every game asset we make is authentic and of the highest quality possible.
WarCom: What's your favourite faction from the 41st Millennium, and why?
Aleksandra: I love Adepta Sororitas because they’re an all-female faction and very loyal (I’m on the loyalist side too). I’ve chosen the Order of the Bloody Rose because I like their paint scheme and I love their merciless style of battle.
WarCom: What is it like working on something you do in your free time?
Aleksandra: It helps a lot. You get a deeper understanding of what you’re doing and why. And for me, it’s been fascinating to see the figures I paint as a hobby come to life in the game.
WarCom: As an art producer, what has been the main challenge of working on Space Marine 2?
Aleksandra: The hardest part is to keep everything faithful to the lore and miniatures while making everything realistic at the same time. Miniatures have quite exaggerated shapes to make them stand out on the table. We couldn’t retrace the forms, so we needed to change them just a little while still staying true to the Warhammer IP.
WarCom: What's it been like to work on bringing Warhammer 40,000 to life in Space Marine 2?
Aleksandra: Filling the project with the Warhammer spirit was really inspiring. This is the biggest project I've worked on, and bringing my beloved universe to life is a dream come true.
Thank you for your time, Aleksandra! Space Marine 2 will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It’s still in development – so why not sign up for our newsletter to find out the release date when we get it?
* Of whom there are rather a lot.
** Another stone-cold classic Warhammer 40,000 video game.