Warhammer 40k Space Marine 3 is already in development after SM2’s huge success

Saber Interactive has already started development on Warhammer 40k Space Marine 3 and says it will "redefine" third-person co-op games.

If you love space bug-blasting co-op games, then 2024 was definitely a year to remember. Helldivers 2 was an unexpected breakout hit, only for Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 to drop and reach similar levels of success. The reception to the latter was so good and so encouraging that publisher Focus Entertainment has just greenlit a sequel just six months on from its launch. That’s right, development is now underway for Space Marine 3, and Saber Interactive is at the helm once again.

Space Marine 2 was excellent right out of the gate when it dropped in September last year, but in recent months it’s only gotten better with new updates and features. Its 2025 roadmap is stacked, and both Saber and Focus have pledged to support it beyond just this year as well. However, both parties are wasting no time getting Space Marine 3 off the ground, announcing today that development has begun on the new co-op game.

“Today, we are thrilled to announce that the adventure will continue with Space Marine 3,” says John Bert, deputy CEO of Focus Entertainment Publishing, in a press release. “Players can look forward to an immersive campaign, a multiplayer mode, and innovations that will redefine the standards of third-person action games. Developed in close collaboration with Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 will take the genre to new heights by introducing large-scale battles that are even more spectacular.”

Matthew Karch, the CEO of Saber, says that developing and supporting Space Marine 2 has been “transformative” for the studio but says that it will be setting its sights even higher with SM3.

“We will take all our learnings and apply them to an even bigger and more spectacular game for the third instalment,” he says. “We view this as an opportunity to create a true love letter to the Warhammer 40,000 universe.”

There are currently no details about when Space Marine 3 will launch, and Focus says that more information about the game will be shared “at a later date.” As a reference point, there was a period of just under three years between the reveal of Space Marine 2 at the 2021 Game Awards and its launch in September 2024, but of course it would have been worked on for some time before that official reveal.

So, it’ll be several years before you get your hands on Space Marine 3. Fear not though, because there are plenty of Space Marine 2 mods that can be used to customize the current game as you see fit. There are loads of other brilliant Warhammer 40k games to keep you entertained too.

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