Good news for fans of the devious and cunning ratmen, or Skaven, of the Warhammer franchise, yes-yes! During Warhammer Skulls 2026, a yearly event in which new games or updates to existing games in the Warhammer Fantasy, Age of Sigmar, and 40K settings are announced, we got a sneak-peek at an upcoming 2D stealth-action title in which you play as Vihneek, a Skaven assassin of Clan Eshin, who we see kill one of his fellow ratmen in a rather disturbing and unhinged display accompanied by his mind’s inner ramblings. Not unexpected with the Skaven- lore-wise, they are prone to betrayal, especially against their own kind. According to a press release from publisher Dotemu, “Set traps, exploit your surroundings and outwit enemies as you ruthlessly carve your fate through the darkest corners of the Skaven world. Slink past threats undetected while devising cunning plans, savagely slaughtering any Skaven who foolishly stands in your way, from cowering dregs to towering rat ogors”.
The French publisher Dotemu has prior experience with 2D action games, such as Absolum, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, or Marvel Cosmic Invasion. This will be their first game set in any Warhammer universe, as goes the same for developer Old Skull Games, who have previously worked on much lighter and upbeat games such as Tiny Worlds: Dragon Idle, My Universe- Cooking Star Restaurant, and Spongebob: Patty Pursuit, as well as the action rogue-lite Cryptical Path, which makes it all the more interesting as to how they will depict a world as dark and brutal as Skaven society.
The ratmen are a favorite part of the Fantasy and Age of Sigmar settings for many, although outside of a few games such as Total War: Warhammer II and III, or Mordheim: City of the Damned, we only ever encounter them as enemies, such as in the popular horde-based FPS Vermintide games or the 1995 real-time tactics title Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat. However, we’ve never had a game that lets us play as a single, individual Skaven, immersing us in the madness and brutality of Under-Empire society; this makes Deathmaster all the more exciting, as it gives us a more personal look into our beloved if not malevolent ratmen.