New details on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Earlier this month, Relic Entertainment in Vancouver, British Columbia gave out a sneak peek at their upcoming game: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.

While 2 trailers had been released at E3 2009 and E3 2010, this was the first time that any actual gameplay had been shown to the public.

While Relic might not be widely known as a console developer, it’s not entirely unfamiliar with the territory, having released “The Outfit” for the Xbox 360 in 2006.

According to Producer Raphael van Lierop, 40K fans can come to expect the following elements:

• You will play Captain Titus of the Ultramarines
• Your mission is to liberate a Forge World from an invading horde of Orks
• The Orks are led by a warboss who is intent on stealing a Warlord Class Titan
• The game will be a “seamless blend” of FPS and melee combat
• The game will feature upgradeable weapons
• The game will appeal to fans of not just 40K, but of science fiction / action games
• No release date as of yet
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine will be available for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC

While THQ Executive VP of core games Danny Bilson made it clear the publisher thinks very highly of Space Marine, describing it as a “Gears of War killer”, that remains to be seen. But with the success that Relic has had with their nearly 8-year Dawn of War franchise, they appear to have a firm grasp on the 40K universe and have shown us some really cool-looking sneak peaks for this upcoming game.