The rumors were true, Creative Assembly really is making Total War: Warhammer 40,000

Since last year we've been speculating about the possibility of Creative Assembly following up its Total War: Warhammer series with a take on the endless science-fantasy grimness factory that is Warhammer 40,000. And what do you know, at The Game Awards we finally got to see it, as announced by David Harbour, who will also be in it.

The big question about Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is how it's going to handle scale. Will there be multiple planets to conquer, and realtime space battles to fight? Will units line up in regimented, well, regiments or will they fight in looser squads like they do on the tabletop? Will there be titans?

The trailer sure makes it look like we'll be fighting over at least seven planets as the Ultramarines, orks, and Astra Militarum. (Aeldari appear in the splash screen, so that's our four factions.) And yep, that's an ork gargant, so we're definitely expecting titans to play a part. The scale seems massive, with orbital strikes being called down from voidships, and a huge number of troops on screen.

According to the press release, we'll be able to "Crusade across a galactic sandbox - capturing planets, upgrading fleets, and managing your war economy as you carve a path to dominance. Conquer worlds, bombard enemies from orbit, and command cinematic real-time battles over planetary strongholds. And when all else fails… unleash apocalyptic weaponry to eradicate entire planets!"

Multiple space marine chapters are shown as well, so whether we're stuck as Ultramarines in the campaign or not, at least in multiplayer I expect we'll be able to repaint our little guys. "For the first time in Total War," says the presser, "forge an army that’s truly your own. Shape every detail from the faction’s title, heraldry, iconography and arcane wargear. Define their traits, sharpen their tactics, and unleash a signature style of destruction that leaves your mark upon the galaxy."

Though it doesn't have a release date yet, you can wishlist Total War: Warhammer 40,000 on Steam.

History and fantasy enjoyers aren't being left out. Just last week, Creative Assembly took the opportunity of Total War's 25th anniversary to announce Total War: Medieval 3 is in pre-production and Total War: Warhammer 3 is getting more DLC, with the next add-on being Lords of the End Times.