The Warhammer 40,000 community was rocked by the unexpected announcement of the development of Space Marine 3, just six months after the release of Space Marine 2. Publisher Focus Entertainment and developer Saber Interactive made this surprising revelation in mid-March, amidst ongoing concerns about the content pipeline for Space Marine 2 and its ability to retain player interest.
In a reassuring blog post, both companies addressed these concerns head-on, promising continued support for Space Marine 2 and unveiling exciting plans for its future. They emphasized that the development of Space Marine 3 does not signal the end of Space Marine 2's lifecycle. "Space Marine 3 does not mean the end of Space Marine 2's development. Far from it. No teams are shifting over, no one is abandoning the game, and our plans to bring more awesome content to Space Marine 2 remain," the statement clarified.
The roadmap for Space Marine 2's first year remains intact, with Patch 7 scheduled for release in mid-April. Looking ahead, players can anticipate a new class, new PvE operations, and new melee weapons in the coming months. The companies tantalizingly hinted at "surprises even dataminers haven’t found out about :)" in their statement.
The announcement of Space Marine 3 marks the beginning of a new project that is still years away from release. The developers expressed their gratitude for the community's enthusiasm and assured fans that they are committed to delivering more content for Space Marine 2.
The highlight of the announcement was the introduction of a new class for Space Marine 2, with speculation rife among fans about what this could be. Many believe it might be the Apothecary, akin to a medic class, while others hope for the Librarian, which would introduce warp-powered space magic into the game. Additionally, the new melee weapon has sparked interest, with fans particularly excited about the possibility of seeing the axe featured in Secret Level’s Warhammer 40,000 animated episode, a weapon that modders have already attempted to implement themselves.
The decision to move forward with Space Marine 3 comes as no surprise, given the strong performance of Space Marine 2. In an interview with IGN following Space Marine 2's launch, Saber Interactive's Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits hinted at the potential for story DLC and discussed early ideas for Space Marine 3. Without revealing too much about the Space Marine 2 campaign, Willits suggested a continuation and noted that IGN had already reported on the likely enemy faction for Space Marine 3. "Our game director Dmitry Grigorenko, he has proposed some story ideas that could either be DLC or a sequel," Willits shared, highlighting the myriad possibilities for expanding the Space Marine universe.
