Gamers will play as Space Marines, Tau, Orks and more

Feb 25, 2015 17:49 GMT  ·  By

Video game developer Whitebox Interactive is announcing that it is working on a new title called Warhammer 40,000: Dark Nexus Arena, which is designed to use the classic universe as the basis for a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena experience, with its launch set to take place at some point in 2016.

The company has plans to deliver an Early Access version of the game to eager players in late spring or summer of this year, and their feedback will probably be used to make sure that the final experience offers the quality fans are expecting.

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Nexus Arena will be set in the dark city of Commorragh where the Wych Cults are taking a range of characters from the universe and making them battle each other.

The title will use the core elements of a MOBA, but will also introduce twin stick shooter mechanics, and the developers have settled on teams of four characters for all matches.

So far, they have mentioned Warhammer 40,000 races like the Space Marines, the Orks and the Tau, which will be playable first, and long-term plans also involve the Elder, their Dark cousins, the Chaos Space Marines and, somewhat interestingly, the Sisters of Battle, which most other video games based on the same universe tend to ignore.

Gamers will have to collect enemy souls from kills and executions will decide who the winner is.

Jonathan Falkowski, the chief executive officer of the Whitebox Interactive studio, explains that "We are hard-core MOBA players with a shared passion for the Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property here at Whitebox. Our aim is to deliver a highly-polished experience that a player of any skill level can step into and find success and enjoyment."

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Nexus Arena could offer an interesting alternative for established titles

The new game will face an uphill fight if it aims to become as popular as League of Legends from Riot Games, DOTA 2 from Valve, or Heroes of the Storm from Blizzard.

But the fact that it uses the Warhammer 40,000 universe might give Dark Nexus Arena a built-in audience that could evolve into a solid fan base if the core mechanics are engaging.

A lot will depend on how the development team at Whitebox handles the economy of the game, which will be offered free-to-play and will aim to make money from selling extra items and cosmetic enhancements for characters.