'Warhammer 40,000' Gets The MOBA Treatment With 'Dark Nexus Arena'

The "Warhammer" franchise appears to be quite busy this year, with two full releases already in the pipeline. The popular action fantasy series now has yet another instalment in the form of "Warhammer 40,000: Dark Nexus Arena."

As the name suggests the latest announcement in the franchise is a MOBA affair set in the "Warhammer" universe according to RockPaperShotgun. The game will be developed by Whitebox Interactive and is slated to release sometime in 2016. However, the early access version for the game will roll out in the second quarter of 2015, with the version already available for pre-order on the game's website for $25 and upwards.

The official developer blog has revealed that gameplay will be based around a team of four players that can be chosen from Space Marines, Orks and Tau races. The announcement also reveals te presence of playable veterans such as Assault Terminator, Scout, Ork Stormboy and Tau Fire Warrior. Additionally, the presence of other faction logos suggests a future addition of Chaos Space Marines, Tyranids, Adepta Sororitas, Eldar, Dark Eldar, Sisters of Battle and more.

"We are hard-core MOBA players with a shared passion for the Warhammer 40,000 intellectual property here at Whitebox," says Whitebox CEO Jonathan Falkowski explaining the decision to take the MOBA route. "Our aim is to deliver a highly-polished experience that a player of any skill level can step into and find success and enjoyment."

The MOBA will be set in the Wych arenas of Commorragh, but it aims to add some versatility to the mix. MOBA is an acronym for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, which is a sub-genre of the Real-Time Strategy genre. Games belonging to this category emphasises the element of action, while excluding staple RTS fixtures of unit and structure building mechanics. The result is a fast-paced action game that retains some of the tactical depth associated with the parent RTS genre.

The game's MOBA roots will be strengthened with a twin-stick shooter approach to gameplay. In layman's terms, the twin-stick shooter control scheme is popular with twitchy action games, where the left analogue stick controls the player character's movement whereas the right stick dictates aiming.

The "Warhammer 40,000: Dark Nexus Arena" announcement comes after the confirmation of two RTS titles under the "Warhammer" banner earlier in the year. The MOBA flavour for the franchise is the most logical evolutionary step since the genre is quite popular amongst the newer breed of gamers. It's no wonder that one of the oldest RTS franchises wants a share of the MOBA pie as well.

In case you have any feedback or wish tip us off, the author can be contacted at nachiketpg13@hotmail.com

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Nexus Arena TEASER (credit: Whitebox Interactive YouTube channel)