Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4’s Plan to Reignite the RTS

The Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series has been dormant for years, leaving a passionate community wondering about its future. Now, with King Art Games at the helm, a new chapter is being written. The developers face the formidable challenge of reigniting a beloved real-time strategy franchise while appealing to both dedicated fans and newcomers stepping into the grim darkness of the far future for the very first time.

King Art’s journey to this project began with their previous title, Iron Harvest. The studio’s work on that diesel-punk RTS, particularly its impressive mech designs and open development process, caught the eye of Games Workshop. Creative Director Jan Theysen recalls the initial contact as almost unbelievable. “They reached out and asked what we would do with a Dawn of War 4,” he says. “We sent over ideas but didn’t hear much back. We figured that was that.” It was only after Iron Harvest launched successfully that the conversation became serious, eventually leading to a signed contract and the reality of development.

For countless players, the original Dawn of War served as an introduction to the vast and complex Warhammer 40,000 universe. King Art aims to recapture that magic, designing the fourth installment to be a potential entry point. The goal is to make the factions and units intuitively understandable without requiring deep lore knowledge. Taking the Orks as a prime example, their gameplay encourages a swarming, aggressive style through design alone, buildings and units are cheap, losses are expected, and constant expansion feels natural. This allows new players to grasp their tactics while veterans appreciate the authentic representation.

Senior Game Designer Elliott Verbiest emphasizes the universe’s unique appeal. “There’s a surface level you can introduce through a story, but the promise of so much more beneath is what attracts fans,” he notes. The team strives to serve both audiences: providing an onboarding narrative for newcomers while embedding enough detail and authenticity to signal to veteran fans that the developers understand and respect the source material.

A major early question was defining what a Dawn of War game should be, given the divergent paths of previous entries. The first game was a classic base-building RTS, the second focused on squad-based tactics and RPG elements, and the third attempted a hybrid approach that proved divisive. After careful consideration, King Art chose to look back to the roots of Dawn of War 1 as their guiding star. This clarity of vision helped navigate the varied expectations within the RTS genre, informing key design pillars like a strong emphasis on cinematic, story-driven campaigns.

Storytelling is positioned at the forefront of this new installment. In an era where many RTS titles prioritize competitive multiplayer, King Art is doubling down on a rich single-player experience. A foundational decision was to launch with four fully realized factions, each receiving its own dedicated campaign that contributes to an overarching narrative. The developers have further complicated their task by introducing non-linear elements to these campaigns. For instance, in the Ork storyline, players may choose which warlord to follow, encounter mutually exclusive missions, and tackle optional objectives.

This focus on dynamic, narrative-driven campaigns is seen as the heart of the project, though multiplayer and beloved modes like Last Stand are also in development. The ambition is to deliver a comprehensive package that honors the legacy of the series while boldly carving its own path forward in the strategy genre.

(Source: IGN)