Owlcat Games has revealed Warhammer 40k: Dark Heresy, a new CRPG set in the grim darkness of the far future. This is an adaptation of a much beloved tabletop RPG, which sees bands of unfortunate acolytes root out cults, corruption, aliens, heretics, mutants, and daemons, in the service of an all powerful Inquisitor.
Warhammer 40k: Dark Heresy was first revealed during Games Workshop’s Skulls teaser stream on Thursday. Details are light so far – just what’s on show in this reveal trailer below, and the promise on Games Workshop’s website that the game will come to PC, PS5, and XBox.
It’s clearly built on the same engine as Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, OwlCat’s first CRPG set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe – and, in fact, the first CRPG from any studio in that setting. That’s fine by us, as Rogue Trader is one of the absolute best Warhammer 40k games on any platform.
Dark Heresy is based on a classic Warhammer 40k tabletop RPG of the same name, that was originally released in the forgotten era of 2008. During our interview with Owlcat Games executive producer Anatoly Shestov in 2023, her told us that the team had been playing tabletop 40k RPGs for years before they got the license to turn one into a computer game, including Dark Heresy.
Rogue Trader did a fantastic job introducing RPG fans to the wider 40k universe, from the cult of the Emperor of Mankind, to the profoundly corrupt and hidebound Imperium of Man, to the many weird and terrifying Warhammer 40k factions.
Dark Heresy is an equally excellent setup for a computer RPG. Inquisitors have the authority to go anywhere, do anything, and requisition any resources they need, but they’ve got to stick their hands (or more typically, their servants’ hands) directly into a meat blender of the worst horrors known to human imagination.
The Skulls showcase also repeated the reveal of the new Lex Imperialis DLC for Rogue Trader, which adds a new archetype for the player character, a new Arbitrator companion, story missions, and a legal system that involves firing cannons at the defendant. Standard 40k stuff, really.
Team Wargamer watched the whole of the Skulls showcase live in the official Wargamer Discord community along with our readers – we’d love to have you join us for the next big reveal stream!
Fancy learning more about the Inquisition? Our guide to the best Warhammer 40k books can point you in the right direction to learn more.
Source: Wargamer
