Space Marine 2's lead dev says more games can trace their DNA back to 40K than people might think: 'Many young gamers probably don't realize the influence it had on your favorite game'

GamesActionWarhammer 40000: Space Marine 2Space Marine 2’s lead dev says more games can trace their DNA back to 40K than people might think: ‘Many young gamers probably don’t realize the influence it had on your favorite game’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Saber Interactive)

A group of space marines of different classes in Space Marine 2.

Everyone loves a space marine. But is it just a coincidence that so many of our favorite franchises feature heroes fully encased in hulking power armor? Not so, says Tim Willits, chief creative officer at Saber Interactive (and, I imagine, most people who’ve seen more than one flavor of space marine). In an interview with PC Gamer at Gamescom, Willits said every Master Chief and Doomguy has a healthy amount of Warhammer under all that heavy plating.

Asked about how the gameplay ofSpace Marine 2stands out compared to other action games, Willits said “it’s very Doom” in its aggressive, forward-momentum combat. But, he continued, Doom—like many games—owes a lot of its impact to Warhammer 40,000. “The Warhammer 40,000 universe existed 45 years ago,” Willits said. (Slight correction: The first edition ofWarhammer 40,000: Rogue Traderwas published 37 years ago in 1987.) “Many young gamers probably don’t realize the influence it had on your favorite game.”

As an example, Willits pointed at the very first Doomguy. “He’s a space marine,” Willits said. “What’d he kind of look like?” As Willits describes it, Doom and Warhammer 40K have actually been in a cycle of recursive inspiration for years, stretching back to his time at Bethesda as id’s studio director.

“When we were working on Doom 2016, we had discussions about the push-forward combat in the original Space Marine,” Willits said, describing how the 2011 40K game influenced the similarly aggressive momentum of the Doom reboot. Doom 2016 would then influence Space Marine 2 in turn, with Saber pulling inspiration from Doom’s Glory Kills for its own execution mechanics.

Willits traced the 40K DNA present in other games: the Space Marine chainsword echoed in the Gears of War chainsaw bayonet, the similar profile of the Fallout power armor. “Even things like Starship Troopers,” Willits said. “Those aliens look just like Tyranids.”

To Willits, the 40K DNA spread throughout the videogame gene pool should make Space Marine 2 an easy sell. “If you’re a Doom fan, if you’re a Helldivers fan, or if you’re an action game fan: This is the game for you,” Willits said.

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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 will release on September 9, 2024.

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