The Xbox Games Showcase hosted the announcement of Warhammer 40K: Darktide, coming from the same developers as Vermintide. Warhammer 40K: Vermintide and its sequel are two of the best-selling games on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The titles share gameplay similarities with Left 4 Dead, pitting players against hordes of relentless enemies in a co-op environment. Other than surviving against waves of foes, players can also collect grimoires in Vermintide, which enhances the quality of the treasure gamers earn at the end of a level.
The Xbox Games Showcase kicked off at 12:00 PM EDT, revealing some highly-anticipated Halo Infinite’s campaign gameplay, including the use of a grappling hook and open-world exploration. 343 Industries and Xbox Game Studios promised to deliver more Master Chief compared to the franchise’s previous installment, Halo 5: Guardians, and so far the developers seem to be delivering on that commitment.
During the Xbox Games Showcase, Warhammer 40K: Darktide was announced, coming from the same developers as Vermintide, Fatshark. The announcement trailer showcased a squad of four soldiers exploring a dark and ominous temple structure, with debris and the unknown looming in the background. They use flashlights to illuminate their path, but they do little to counter the darkness. As they explore, they turn to shine their lights behind them, revealing an overwhelming horde of enemies ready to attack. Before combat begins, the screen shifts to a black nothingness, revealing the game’s title and a release window of 2021. The trailer also advertises the game’s future availability on the Xbox Series X and Steam (PC), leaving a PlayStation 5 release up in the air. Fans can view the trailer below.
The Warhammer universe is ripe with lore and gameplay opportunities. From Medieval similarities to futuristic settings, the franchise maintains tried and true fantasy tropes regardless of its era. What started as a tabletop series transcended the physical realm and shifted to the virtual world of video games, even spawning several novels and other mediums to tell its various tales. Fatshark has done a wondrous job of staying true to the gruesome yet fascinating world of magic and bloodthirst. Even Creative Assembly tackled the expansive Medieval aspect of the universe with the Total War: WARHAMMER franchise.
Delivering on its promise to provide more exclusive content for the Xbox brand, Microsoft has acquired several studios that will become first-party developers. The Xbox Games Showcase showed a lot of promise for the company’s next-generation console, the Xbox Series X, with many of the revealed titles coming to the system, as well as Xbox One and PC. If there is one core reason as to why Xbox has lagged behind PlayStation in terms of sales and brand loyalty, it’s the lack of exclusivity, particularly with the current generation. If recent unveilings are any indication, the next generation should be a decent step in remedying that shortcoming.
Warhammer 40K: Darktide will be available on PC and Xbox Series X in 2021.
