Greetings Commanders,
We just announced Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Deathwatch, the direct sequel to the critically acclaimed Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, which will put you into the boots of Interrogator Bastian Rath as you lead the Deathwatch in defence of the Tyrian expanse. Deploy the Imperium’s greatest Xenos hunters recruited from iconic Space Marine Chapters as you redefine the battlefields of the 41st millennium in brutal turn-based combat.
Every squad you build and every decision you make shapes the fate of a sector under siege from Genestealer Cults, Orks, T’au, and the forces of Chaos. Build your Kill Team from a wide array of specialists, from Inquisitorial agents to elite Deathwatch marines, bearing their own legacies and experience. We sat down with Complex Games’ Studio Head Jonas Van Niekerk to explore the team’s approach to building on Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, and his passion for the Deathwatch.
What can returning Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters players expect to notice straight away when they step into this next chapter?
JVN: We had a solid foundation with Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters, so we took that experience and asked ourselves some tough questions; what would we add? What makes a Chaos Gate game? Where can we continue to evolve our work?
One area we’re really excited for players to notice is the changes to the number of units they can take onto the battlefield. We’ve got a lot of unit variety that players can bring to the table. It’s not just Deathwatch either! You've got the Astra Militarum and the Inquisition under your belt as well. Every unit comes with a cost, and you have a certain amount that you're allowed to spend to go into a mission. That's very reflective of the tabletop game, and we decided to expand the roster size to 8 units to give the player that agency in how they craft their Kill Team.
We also have plenty of great general additions, especially in giving the player more information on movement and attack previews. They were just two areas we looked at and made changes which we believe really enhance the game and the overall experience to make this a turn-based game for all strategy fans.
In Warhammer the Deathwatch brings together Space Marines from across the imperium, each with their own unique designs, heraldry and identity. How has that variety influenced the games art direction and visual style?
JVN: Everyone’s got their favourite Space Marine chapter and so we really wanted to focus on telling an individual backstory for each Deathwatch Marine, which you’ll see revealed over the course of the Marine’s life cycle in the game. Each also has their own chapter background and lore, so they’re getting their own personal quest. For example, a recruit from the Blood Angels might have a personal objective to kill a bunch of orks, which will reward you with skill points.
In terms of the art direction, we've added in lots of opportunities for customization into each class, it’s very much an intrinsic part of a Warhammer experience and something we know players loved from Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters. They also all get their own individual sets of wargear, so each character feels like a very distinct representation of their own chapter and background, whilst still being part of the Deathwatch.
Are there any particular factions, enemies, or environments the team have been especially excited to include in this game?
JVN: I don’t want to give too much away, we’ve got a lot of reveals to come which Warhammer 40,000 fans will really enjoy, but Orks have been a lot of fun to create as a development team. I’ve also really enjoyed working with the T’au as well, they’ve been sort of a fan favourite in the studio.
But for me personally working with the Deathwatch has been really a lifelong dream. Just being able to kind of express my love for all the chapters that I've grown up with since childhood and being able to bring those units into a battle, fight with them and explore their backstories, and all of the abilities and wargear they have. All of that's just been really fun to work with.
How closely have the team collaborated with Warhammer to bring Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate Deathwatch to life?
JVN: As soon as Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters wrapped up we started talking to the Warhammer team about creating the next game. We’d seen players commenting on how the gameplay experience would really lend itself to different chapters, and the Deathwatch are a great fit with how they allow us to celebrate all the Space Marine chapters.
So since then, working with Warhammer has been kind of a constant process. We started writing the story basically as soon as the first game was out, which led itself to developing mechanics which suited the story we wanted to tell and exploring what it means to tell a Deathwatch story versus a Grey Knights one. It’s been a really collaborative process.
What are you most excited for newcomers discovering the Chaos Gate series to experience in this game.
JVN: I think I'm going to be excited for them to just try out the Deathwatch, experiment with the unit compositions and play around with what they think makes a good kill team. The story is a great reflection of the Warhammer 40,000 universe; it really showcases what makes this world so special for so many players. For players who love the tactical depth and detail we have Skirmish, which is our brand-new game mode for standalone battles.
Those individual tactical battles allow players to refine their strategies, choosing to take on a specific faction. Because each enemy faction plays differently, it’s a great testbed for understanding their strengths and how your kill team can counter them. 
Suffer Not The Alien to Live. Commander, we trust your Deathwatch Kill Team will do all it takes to rid the imperium of scum! Wishlist Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate – Deathwatchnow and Lead the Long Vigil.
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