One of many coolest reveals finally week’s Warhammer Skulls occasion was Boltgun 2, a sequel to the lovingly made mix of Warhammer 40K and retro Doom video games. That first recreation earned itself a spot in many individuals’s hearts, a loving homage to 2 worlds. However now there is a sequel cooking away, and all eyes are on the long run.
So to assist peel again the curtain just a bit on Boltgun 2, I chatted to principal designer Matt Bone. We touched on what to anticipate from Boltgun 2 in comparison with the unique, what it is like making video games inside the Warhammer 40K IP, and whether or not or not a fan favorite will ever discover a house on the tabletop.
VG247: Boltgun was obtained very positively from Warhammer followers and Retro Doom lovers alike – are you able to converse on how you are feeling about this reception to the unique recreation?
Bone: Throughout growth we had been actually excited concerning the recreation, however it’s at all times inconceivable to foretell what gamers will suppose till it’s of their fingers. So, it was an enormous reduction when it was obtained so positively and went past even our highest hopes.
Because the studio itself and everybody in it are huge Warhammer followers, we had been excited to share our ardour for Warhammer with the gamers. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is basically the sport we needed to play as followers ourselves; we simply obtained the enjoyment of with the ability to make it too.
The very fact it turned our studio’s greatest recreation is simply testomony to the passion of our group and our love for the Warhammer 40,000 universe. On the very core of Boltgun, we needed to please each Warhammer 40,000 and retro shooter followers, and it feels prefer it was successful on each fronts. All of the love from our neighborhood and the Warhammer 40,000 neighborhood was past our expectations.
Now we’re aiming to do it yet again!
We’re excited to proceed working with Video games Workshop to create extra video games for the viewers, particularly as we get to discover artistic spin-offs like Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Phrases of Vengeance! That one was plenty of enjoyable to make and we’re giving it away at no cost so it’s positively price a attempt.
VG247: What can we count on when it comes to a change of setting in Boltgun 2? The place has Malum Caedo discovered himself now?
Bone: Malum Caedo received’t be restricted to Graia in Boltgun 2, the branching marketing campaign of his mission means he’ll be purging throughout new worlds. We will’t reveal all proper now however we are able to share that there can be new, never-before-seen environments with all new enemies for Malum to face in opposition to. We’re including some areas and enemies that followers have been asking for, and the sequel was an incredible place to incorporate these.
We’ll have extra to share sooner or later and might’t wait to indicate them off!
VG247: Inform me a bit extra concerning the enhancements we are able to count on from the unique recreation! What’s there when it comes to new weapons, gameplay mechanics, and so forth?
Bone: It’s nonetheless a bit of early to share an excessive amount of, however we positively need to present extra selection when it comes to the gameplay and the locations the participant can be visiting – and naturally the heretics they’ll be purging. We’re doubling down on the issues followers preferred about Boltgun – its excessive, retro tackle the Warhammer 40,000 universe – while offering loads of new surprises. “Joyously Grimdark” is one in all our design pillars, which I feel conveys the tone of Boltgun video games nicely: they’re a lovingly tongue-in-cheek celebration of Warhammer 40,000, revelling within the pixel glory of blood, gore and gloom! .
VG247: Will Horde mode be making a return from the primary recreation?
Bone: It’s too early to say but. We added horde mode as DLC for Boltgun and it appeared to go down nicely, so we’re trying into extra distinctive modes like that, whether or not for the bottom recreation or post-launch. We rely quite a bit on participant suggestions for this sort of factor – if it’s one thing individuals are clamouring for, we’ll do our greatest to incorporate it.
VG247: The unique Boltgun was tied to the occasions of Warhammer 40,000: Area Marine,with Caedo heading to Graia years after the occasions of the sport. Now that Area Marine 2 has come out, can we count on related ties between Boltgun 2 and Area Marine 2? Or, has the group been given extra freedom to create a recreation completely separated from different 40K video games?
Bone: It was nice to pay homage to different Warhammer 40,000 video video games which the group are huge followers of two. For anybody unaware, the primary Boltgun picks up straight after the occasions of Area Marine 1 as Ultramarine Malum Caedo goes on a mission to find a misplaced shard of Area Marine 1’s important artifact. We even put in a enjoyable easter egg for Warhammer followers in Malum’s taunt to reference Captain Titus!
As for what’s to return in Boltgun 2, you’ll simply have to play to search out out what different enjoyable Easter Eggs we’re hiding for the followers.
VG247. Video games Workshop loves releasing named Area Marine characters for the tabletop recreation, and given he’s an Ultramarine, Caedo should have a very good shot certainly. Have any official discussions taken place on bringing Caedo to the tabletop? Or ought to followers hold at it with kitbashing?
Bone: We’d in fact find it irresistible if at some point there was a method for Malum Caedo to return to the official tabletop recreation, everybody within the studio would like to have him of their armies – I feel we’d need to put in a studio huge order!
We completely love seeing all of the superb kitbashes of Malum Caedo that the followers recurrently share with us and we’ve seen nice examples throughout socials and reddit. When gamers tag us in pics of ones they’ve made, we share them inside the dev group and everybody will get tremendous hyped.
VG247. Auroch Digital has in fact carried out extra than simply Boltgun. What’s it like working with Video games Workshop for a licensed recreation like Boltgun 2, versus a completely unbiased enterprise?
Bone: For me, I like attending to mess around in a universe that has actually many years of lore behind it. To name the Warhammer 40,000 universe enormous is an understatement – each time I feel I’ve a good deal with on it, I’ll uncover a complete new half I knew nothing about, which often ends in me getting misplaced down a rabbit gap for a couple of hours. With regards to making the sport, meaning we’re usually beginning a couple of steps forward: need an thrilling new enemy? Right here’s a couple of hundred to select from, together with beautiful fashions and pages of lore. Desire a new location? Right here’s a galaxy of worlds and tales to faucet into.
Generally, it’s important that the sport stays trustworthy to the IP, even in our retro-styled strategy. We need to current it in a method that’s each distinctive and nonetheless the universe followers know and love. That is true for our Phrases of Vengeance undertaking too. We had this loopy concept of constructing a Boltgun typing recreation, and Video games Workshop – as an alternative of questioning our sanity – had been fully onboard and helped us massively in attaining it. They most likely do nonetheless query our sanity, however that feels applicable for the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Boltgun 2 is ready to launch in 2026