Space Marine 2 offers just a slice of the Warhammer 40,000 setting, presenting the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines against two enemy factions: the Tyranids and the Thousand Sons traitor legion. This, its developer has said, has led to some “assumptions” about the Warhammer 40,000 universe that are untrue — assumptions that have become widespread as a result of the game’s huge success.
Speaking to IGN at gamescom 2025, Tim Willits, development chief at Saber Interactive, said Space Marine 2’s popularity had opened the door to the grimdark Warhammer 40,000 setting for an army of new fans who aren’t necessarily clued up about the intricacies of the universe.
“I heard that lots of people now think that Thousand Sons are the only Chaos faction because that’s what we had in the game,” Willits said, reflecting on Space Marine 2’s first year.
“And so people are like, ‘Oh, I guess Thousand Sons, they’re Chaos.’ It’s like, ‘Actually no it’s not.’ They’re actually just a small faction. But people are just like, ‘That’s the one I played against.’”
Indeed, there is a long list of Chaos factions within the setting. If there’s an antagonist of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, it’s probably Abaddon the Despoiler’s Black Legion, who do not feature in Space Marine 2. Other traitor legions include the Death Guard, the Emperor’s Children, Iron Warriors, Night Lords, World Eaters, Word Bearers, and the Alpha Legion. But then there are Chaos-aligned renegade Space Marine chapters, warbands, and smaller groups to contend with. Yes, it’s a lot!
This assumption about Chaos extends to the Space Marines themselves. The Ultramaines — considered the poster boys of the Warhammer 40,000 setting and the chapter used by Games Workshop itself when introducing newcomers to the tabletop via starter sets — are the protagonists of the Space Marine 2 campaign, although many other factions are available to play as in the PvE and PvP modes.
“People have assumptions about the Warhammer 40,000 universe that are not correct,” Willits continued. “Like Thousand Sons being the only Chaos faction. That is kind of humorous. And like, ‘Oh Space Marines are only blue!’ That has been quite humorous to be honest, which is good for us.”
Indeed it is good for Saber Interactive, which has seen the star of Space Marine 2, Lieutenant Titus, not only become an official part of the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game via his own model and datasheet, but immortalized via a star turn in the superb Warhammer 40,000 episode of Amazon’s Secret Level animated anthology.
Games Workshop has benefited greatly from Space Marine 2’s success as well, and not just in terms of licensing revenue. Anecdotally, staff at the company’s stores report a flood of newcomers who cite Space Marine 2 as their entry point. Clearly hoping to capitalize on the interest, Games Workshop recently announced the first ever officially licensed wearable Space Marine helmet — styled after Lieutenant Titus from Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 of course.
One of the big questions going into the already confirmed Space Marine 3 is whether Saber will venture beyond the Ultramarines and the Thousand Sons in terms of the next campaign. The story seems to set up the addition of the Necrons, which at this point probably wouldn’t come as much of a surprise for Space Marine 3. But could other Space Marine chapters also appear? Perhaps other Chaos factions, too? We asked Willits about Space Marine 3, but he remained tight-lipped.
Check out more from IGN’s gamescom interview with Tim Willits to find out why delaying Space Marine 2 was the best thing Saber ever did.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
