At the Xbox Games Showcase, Fatshark revealed their third entry in the Warhammer universe. Like both Vermintides before it, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is also a four-player co-op FPS, but will be taking place in the 401st-century setting. The Darktide trailer shows a squad of four deploying into a hive city, a self-contained, densely populated arcology that should contain millions of humans. Instead of civil unrest that the narrator suggested, the team found millions of zombie-Esque humanoids that are the forces of the Chaos Cult. The game appears to promise a semi-horror atmosphere along with the chaotic combat.
“Players will not be able to hide behind lethal ranged weapons,” explains Fatshark’s press release, “they’ll need to combine both FPS and melee skills as they get up close and personal in visceral clashes between Imperium and Chaos factions.” Just like Vermintide, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide’s gameplay formula is deeply inspired by the system that Left 4 Dead popularised, from the co-op gameplay to the unending swarms of hostiles. In Warhammer 40,000: Darktide players will take control of Inquisitorial Acolytes. Details so far have been scant, and the Warhammer 40k universe is vast featuring over a hundred novels alone along with games and other mediums.
If Vermintide is any indication of the direction Fatshark will take with its contribution to the universe, we should expect Darktide to expand to the focus onto new and different army units, enemy factions, or environments. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is a first-party Microsoft game and just like Vermintide II, Xbox Gamepass holders can expect the game to be available to them on Windows 10 via the Xbox app and on the Xbox Series X via the Gamepass subscription. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide has a projected release date set sometime in 2021. Additionally, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide will be available to get on Steam, and is already available to wishlist.