Today THQ had their earnings conference call for their investors. During the conference call THQ announced the planed release date for Dark Millennium Online, which is fiscal year 2013. So current plans is to have DMO in your hands sometime between April 1, 2012 and on March 31, 2013.
Head over to THQ investors page for the conference call.
Great shot of a Space Marine on a motorcycle with a tank in the background.
Action shot of the a Dreadnought!
Gamespot recently sat down with THQ CEO Brian Farrell and asked him how things were going at THQ. Below is a snippet of that interview that pertains to DMO 40k.
GS: How is the massively multiplayer project Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online shaping up?
BF: We’ve not picked a firm launch date yet. As you know, those are the most complex games and gaming systems on the planet. And we know what the competition is. So we know we need to do it absolutely right. So it’s still a couple of years out. But, I mean, even the early version–in fact, I’ve got a review of that product at 3:00 and then I’m actually going to be down at that office and studio on Friday looking at the progress there. We’re really excited about the game but when we know we have–well, first of all, a firm beta date, obviously we’ll announce that. But it’s still a couple of years out because we want this to be a real defining experience for the MMO player.
GS: Now this is THQ’s first major MMORPG. What’s kind of the biggest challenge you guys are facing? I mean, you’ve got a well-known IP out there but it’s also a very competitive space. If you launch a couple years out, you’ll have both World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic to contend with. I mean, how will Warhammer 40,000 differentiate itself?
BF: Well, first, it’s such a great universe. I mean, we have shipped over 5 million copies of Warhammer 40K PC games. We’ll have those players play the online experience. It’s not an MMO, obviously, but we know there’s a dedicated fan base. We’ve delivered them great games, and we believe that if we deliver a quality MMO experience, we can convert those PC box product game users into MMO subscribers.
But you’ve got to deliver a differentiated experience that still feels familiar to an MMO player. That’s what we intend to do with Warhammer 40K. So make some of the systems familiar so it’s not foreign to a player how to continue to level up, but make it a really unique experience based on that IP. And that’s the vision for the product, and I think the team down at Vigil is executing on that vision, from what I can see.
Get the full interview at Gamespot
David: DMO Online is a new online game being developed at Vigil games set in the Warhammer 40k Universe. The big things we are talking about at GamesCom is our first playable race, which is the Imperium of Man, and our first playable class which is the Black Templar Space Marine.
It’s 40k so there is going to be a lot of combat a lot of action it’s way more action oriented then your typical MMO. But at the end of the day it still has your typical RPG trappings there are quests, missions, groups, guilds all that kinda of stuff. The base gameplay is way more visceral, way more action oriented, way more suitable to the 40k universe.
40k is a science-fiction universe so when we first started working on the game we realized right away that we needed to change the base mechanics of your standard MMO because generally in those games guns just aren’t fun. We had to push it a lot more towards, well I wouldn’t say it’s a twitch FPS but somewhere between that and a typical MMO there is a lot of stuff came out of that. It had to be faster, guys die quicker, they were kinda natural extensions of what you would have to do to make a really cool gun based MMO.
We don’t want it to be overly punishing, though it can’t be nothing or people would just grind themselves endlessly and die all the time but it really depends there are two parts of the there is the PvP aspect of the game and the PvE aspect of the game. Are you in a battleground, an instance, you know what are you doing and that dictates the death penalty.
Vehicles are a really big part of the game in addition to personal vehicles you can drive around like motorcycles and that type of thing. We have a full suite of vehicles and all the playable races have a ton of different vehicles they can pilot they are all multi-manable, so like 4 guys can jump in a tank, one guy can drive, the rest of the guys can shoot. They have physics they react to the world, they impact with each other, you can jump berms on a bike, you can peel out, you can do all that stuff you would expect from an action game.
You know the cool thing about 40k is its just a huge expansive universe that you can pin a needle on a map and just and pick a spot. You know that is basically what we did. The game takes place across multiple worlds. Each world has multiple zones and it is all free roaming, seamless its a big massive world you get to cruise around and explore and we want to give you the experience of being in the 40k universe. So I think people new to the IP and people failure with the IP will see there is a lot of elements from 40k and it’s just a really cool compelling world to explore in.
Enjoy these new Dark Millennium Online shots of the Orks they look awesome!
In the new trailer you talk about the Imperium of Man. Can you tell us how the Space Marines and Imperial Guard will work together?
The Imperium of Man is drawn to the Sargos Sector because of a significant disturbance in the Warp that jeopardizes a rich mining world. We are not ready to disclose any further details yet around the circumstances, but rest assured that we are working on something that is truly epic and will deliver on the expectations of the Warhammer 40,000 fan base.
You mentioned in another interview that there will only be two overall factions in the game. Can you explain how this will work and what armies will be working together?
We are working very closely with Games Workshop to ensure that the experience that we will deliver in Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online will remain true and faithful to the IP. We know that this particular issue has been a subject of much debate. However, once we have finished revealing all of the races, classes and key storylines for the game and how they all interrelate to one another, we know that the fans are going to love it. How could they not when Games Workshop is closely working with us on making sure that the game stays true to the lore and the IP.
How do you plan to balance the shooter combat and melee combat in Warhammer 40,000? Both styles are very relevant to the table top game.
We agree. You cannot bring the world of Warhammer 40,000 to life without embracing both shooter and melee play styles. Our plan for balancing the two is to make sure that we are accounting for both styles in every aspect of the game design. From pace to controls to enemy AI behaviors to zone design, we have had to be mindful of the fact that the players will have both powerful guns that fire off numerous rounds of ammunition and melee weapons that deliver devastating attacks. It’s a challenge to say the least, but we feel that the balance that we are driving toward here is probably the most important pillar of our game and will really set us apart from other more traditional MMOs.
Tech Priests are clearly mentioned in the trailer, can you tell us a little more about them?
For anyone unfamiliar with the Warhammer 40,000 universe Tech Priests are pretty badass and generally form the brains of the Emperor’s servants. As their name suggests they are skilled technicians and scientists and take human form, but they also have mechanical body elements which makes them really cool looking as well. I wish I could give you more details about their role in the game, but I can’t at this stage. All I can say is that it’s really cool they are a part of this game and you’ll have to stay tuned for more details.
How has work on the game been going? Is the team excited about meeting milestones?
The team is extremely excited at this stage and we are building the game in earnest. With all of the underlying technology development and prototyping out of the way, it is thrilling to see the world of our game come to life on almost a daily basis.
Both trailers have made a big splash among players. Will we see an Orc or Chaos trailer soon?
Our goal is continue revealing more and more details about all of the races in our game as we move forward. We are thrilled that the community has responded so favorably to the trailers released to date. We feel like we’re just getting started and hope to deliver even more exciting material in the months to come.
As fans of Warhammer 40,000 what are your favorite parts of working with the IP?
We are really excited about being able to dive into the depth of the lore. The table top game is fantastic and drives fan interest. However, there is so much narrative and history in the Codexes that is difficult to cover in the table top format. We feel extremely lucky to have the benefit of this rich material to help us flesh out a deep, rich, immersive experience in our game.
How will you handle the many Space Marine Chapters in the game? Will there be some form of customization for players?
All I can say for now is that the chapter that we are focusing on for our base playable Space Marine is the Black Templars. There are many reasons for choosing this particular chapter that will be revealed over time. As for what other Space Marine chapters will make an appearance in DMO, we’ll keep you posted, but it’s safe to presume that there will be some sort of customization option for players, after all this is an MMO we’re talking about! 
Can you give three core elements to the game that you feel are essential in meeting expectations of the Warhammer 40,000 fan base?
The team’s number one priority is making sure that they fully bring to life the unique, rich, and violent warhammer 40,000 universe to life. Fans have been waiting for a long time for their chance to truly live in the universe and we want to make sure that we deliver on that experience.
As they say in the “Grim darkness of the far future there is only war”, so obviously combat is a huge part of bringing that experience to life. With our focus on embracing both the shooter and melee combat styles, we really feel that the players will get a chance to experience eternal battle that rages across the warhammer 40,000 universe.
Finally we really want to get across the epic scope of the warhammer 40,000 universe. This is a setting where war is waged across sectors where men and aliens fight and die on battlefields as massive Titans, like you saw in the videos, stride across the battlefield laying waste to everything that stands in their path.
What is your choice for Table Top army and why?
Personally, I have grown very fond of the Grey Knights. I love the mystery and secrecy around their connection to the Inquisition and their ability to use psyker abilities as well as a potent array of the more convention Space Marine arsenal. They rock!
RPS: So, you haven’t released a great deal of information on the game yet. Is this going to be a traditional MMORPG?
Tim Campbell: We look at it like, there’s two layers to an MMO. There’s the upper layer, which is progression, merchants, getting abilities and all that kind of stuff, and we have some twists and turns in there but for the most part it’ll be quite similar to the other MMOs out there.
Where we want to innovate is in the basic, moment-to-moment gameplay. The first thing we realised is that if you try to do traditional MMO combat with guns, it doesn’t work. You have like, a tank with a gun? It doesn’t make sense. And because the IP is really visceral and powerful, we wanted to amp the action up. So, it’s much more action-based. But we don’t want to talk about that just yet.
What I will say is that walking through these halls, you can spot an MMO from forty feet away. There’s something about ‘em. They’ve got a million buttons, and you target enemies and attack them, and the whole thing is so easily identifiable. But because of our presentation and interface, if you walked by our game on the show floor, you wouldn’t think it was an MMO. At that level, it doesn’t play like an MMO.
RPS: There’s a lot of vehicular combat in the trailers you’ve released. Can you talk about that?
TC: That’s definitely one of the pillars of our game, in addition to action combat. Vehicles in MMOs are usually pretty poorly implemented. You can’t get out, there’s no real physics. But the vehicles in our game, you can jump in and out, they react to the environment. I mean it’s not like, super-hardcore physics, you can’t really crash the vehicles. I’d call it “part-physics”, if that makes sense. You can still ram other vehicles and stuff, but you can’t tip over.
RPS: How exactly are you using the 40K universe?
TC: It’s our goal to make players feel like they’re actually inside the 40K game world. The races and classes we’ve chosen are all really iconic. I mean, so far we’ve revealed Space Marines, but that trend’s going to continue. We’ll reveal all the high-level bullet points of the IP.
RPS: I feel like the 40K universe distinguishes itself with a degree of… not maturity, but violence and depression. Bleakness. It doesn’t seem to be on the same wavelength as most MMOs, which strive to be accessible to absolutely everybody.
TC: Personally, I feel there’s a difference between accessibility of gameplay and accessibility of content. I’ve played 40K for 25 years. It’s daunting at first to sit down with someone and show them the universe, but there are a lot of accessible, acceptable, identifiable themes in 40K.
A lot of sci-fi can be weird, with no points of reference. But 40K has loads of points of reference. You’ve seen it in pop culture all over the place- it’s fantasy, it’s sci-fi, it’s horror, but it’s not unidentifiable fantasy-sci-fi. The idea of a Space Marine isn’t weird. Fighting demons isn’t weird. You’ve seen it in a bunch of fantasy games. I think Games Workshop’s great at producing a ton of fantasy content that resonates really easily.
RPS: I suppose what I’m talking about is that most MMOs tend to market themselves at a younger audience than you’d expect from 40K.
TC: I think if you look at our last game, Darksiders, you’ll see that we didn’t “gimp” the setting there. It wasn’t ridiculously dark, but we didn’t shy away from those elements and that’s our style as a studio.
RPS: So, ranged combat’s what you’re using to differentiate Dark Millenium Online?
TC: Well, ranged combat, the universe, and a couple of other things we’ll be talking about at a later date before the end of the year. There’s a lot of things that fall out of ranged combat that make the game not play like a traditional MMO.
RPS: How do you feel about Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning?
TC: I played it, I enjoyed it. I don’t really like to talk about other people’s projects, but I think that did fall into the category of a more traditional MMO, and we don’t. You go on missions and you gain levels; we have all the trappings that make you feel attached to the game and the community, but what you’re doing- the thing with an MMO is that you never talk about what you did in the game. You might say that you got cool loot, or you killed this boss, but you never say- like, if you’d played Left 4 Dead, you’d be like “We were in the carnival, and a guy shot the car, and it was crazy, and one of the Smokers got one of our guys who got dragged off on his own!”
The physical acts you did. That’s what you’re talking about. And in an MMO, you say- “I pulled a mob and killed it”? Everybody does that in every MMO in every hallway. You just never talk about it.
RPS: So you’re shooting for something more instanced? More scripted?
TC: There’s still an open world. One of the things I can talk about is that we’ve carved out a little system in the universe where we set our game, and some of the planets are contested, some aren’t. Some are just outright battlefields. So there’s a lot of open, explorable space, but there’s also a lot that’s personalised and scripted.
RPS: Okay. And will the shooting be skill based? Do you aim with the mouse?
TC: Ah… I will say it’s more action oriented. One thing we wanted to make clear is that it’s not hardcore shooting. The weird analogy that I always give is that on one end of the melee combat spectrum you have WoW, and on the other end you have Devil May Cry. But there’s stuff in the middle, like Diablo. It’s not WoW, but it’s not Devil May Cry. Translate that to ranged combat and you can maybe start to see what we’re doing here.
RPS: Will we be able to play Inquisitors?
TC: I can’t answer that, but I will say that I love Inquisitors. I dunno.
RPS: Thanks for your time.
Eurogamer: I’ve been excited about the Warhammer 40K MMO for a long time. When will it be out?
Danny Bilson: A couple more years. It really is about two years out.
Look, there is an 800 pound gorilla out there called World of Warcraft, which is a fantastic MMO that’s going to get updated with Cataclysm soon and drive a lot of people including myself back into it.
I’m a big MMO fan and player. I’ve played EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, City of Heroes, I’ve got a few level 80 characters in WOW. Now, imagine that the people making Dark Millennium Online are all a bunch of guys like me, who love WOW and the expansions it’s had along the way.
We all say to ourselves, ‘We’re not going to get all the WOW players to move to 40K.’ 40K has its own unique coolness and edge. And that edge and glorious gore is not going to appeal to everybody. It appeals to you and I.
But what I know about our 40K game is that if you’ve played WOW you’ll be able to pick up and play this instantly, and you’ll find all these things that feel like upgrades, in a way.
How soon you get vehicles, how many vehicles there are in the universe. If you know 40K, you know the things in the universe. You know the races. You know things like ranged combat is going to be important for the bolters. You know the chainsword matters, and having both.
You know being an ork is a completely different experience than being a Space Marine, and being a Space Marine alone is a very different experience than being a scout or an Imperial Guard or any of the other Imperium of Man that you’re going to see in this trailer.
What does being an Inquisitor mean? That’s down the road somewhere. I always say too much in these things, but I get excited.
It has a lot of the same qualities of WOW in terms of ease of use and how the interface is. I want to say that if you play WOW, you’ll be able to jump into Dark Millennium Online really easy.
But you won’t be able to be a Space Marine right away, because that’s a very unique class, if you know the universe. The road there is a great road, and they are in the game.
You’ve seen already what chapter of Space Marine is represented in that game. It’s very cool. What’s your chapter of choice?
Eurogamer: The Space Wolves.
Danny Bilson: The Wolves are fantastic. I’m a Dark Angel fan myself. Neither of us are the core race in there. But I’m insisting we encounter and have experiences with some of the other core six chapters along the way.
Some of that will come later. Some of it’ll be at launch. I can’t wait to come across that Dark Angel fort and those guys and their mission and what they’re all about, because that’s my favourite chapter.
But the Wolves are phenomenal, and I’m sure they’re represented somewhere down the road as well. You know how deep this universe is, that we have so much cool stuff to mine.
We don’t make fun of it at all. There’s a lot of charm in the WOW, ‘Have a good one.’ All that kind of stuff. But in Dark Millennium is just that. It’s a Dark Millennium. It’s not goofy.
The orks are pretty wacky, but that’s part of their barbarous nature, right?
Eurogamer: But it’s two years out.
Danny Bilson: It is. But you know what, you know how those betas come really early? Just keep in touch and you could be one of the first in.
Read the full interview at Eurogamer.
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