Latest Warhammer 40000 game is in 'Beta', by the Devs who gave us Ride to Hell: Retribution

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Recently a game showed up on Steam called [a href=http://store.steampowered.com/app/254650/]Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance (BETA)[/a] and no the game isn't marked as an Early Access game despite its title and (apparent) lack of completion.

The Developers in question, called Eutechnyx Ltd on the store page weakly defended their marketing of a beta without using Early Access as:

Early access is really intended for games much earlier in their development cycle than we are with this and we felt it would have been wrong of us to put the game in their.

They later argued that they need release the game (at $9.99 a pop) "to get players in high enough numbers to be sure the multi-player is competitive and balanced."

And in true 40k fashion it gets worse, apparently its a re-skin of [a href=http://store.steampowered.com/app/260380/]this game[/a] and it turns out the devs are the ones behind Ride to Hell: Retribution. Remove the 'Ltd' from their name and you get [a
http://store.akamai.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Eutechnyx]this list[/a] which contains both the origional game and Ride to Hell. I even managed to follow the two games website links to the main Eutechnyx website.

So in Summary:

1) Game Developer changes name so that infamous games it made no longer show up as being developed by them.
2) It releases a game it states as a 'Beta' without using the store category specifically set aside for games not yet complete.
3) Game is just a re-skin of an existing game they made.

Spoiler: Relevent links

Dev explaining about not using Early Access: http://steamcommunity.com/app/254650/discussions/0/558749190655297934/
Games developed by 'Eutechnyx Ltd': http://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Eutechnyx%20Ltd
Games developed by 'Eutechnyx': http://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Eutechnyx

 

[Weaver]

Ed, that is some grade A sleuthing you've done here!
As a fan of 40k this is really not a game I ever wanted to be honest.

I know old Jummy Sterling has some footage on his youtube channel and the game looks pretty... mobile.

To be fair, I don't think they changed their name as much as they likely applied for Limited status after the immense failure that was Ride to Hell. This means the when the company gets into financial trouble or is bankrupt, then its owners are not personally liable for the debt.

 

[Barbas]

Put the game in their what? 'cos I can think of a few suggestions!

That is the sort of game that belongs on Newgrounds, at least seven years ago.

 

[shrekfan246]

Your use of "their" in what is supposed to be the actual quote makes me doubt its authenticity and your general spelling and grammar in this post makes me think it's either a troll post or you are just ranting.

You do realize that sometimes people just have poor spelling and grammar, right? And why would "ranting" invalidate a point, especially if the rant is still factually correct?

OP is like Shakespeare compared to the things you usually find on Youtube, and at least two previous members of these very forums.

I didn't care enough to really check out if it was the same developers behind Ride to Hell, but I've seen the same video footage previously mentioned that Jim Sterling put up on his Youtube channel, and the game is basically just a Warhammer-skinned Plants vs. Zombies, but somehow less compelling.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

Your use of "their" in what is supposed to be the actual quote makes me doubt its authenticity and your general spelling and grammar in this post makes me think it's either a troll post or you are just ranting.

I copied that from the poster who was marked as 'developer' on the Steam forum, so I seriously doubt it was a troll.

Check the relevant link part of my post.

The exact post is number 13: http://steamcommunity.com/app/254650/discussions/0/558749190655297934/

 

[Muspelheim]

Even the Spess Mehreen glaring in the margins seems upset. He's equipped his scowly helmet to reflect his apprehension about being involved in such a Shiteus Gargantuae.

Although fighting Orcs on neat and tidy croquet lawns is probably an improvement of working conditions for the poor sod.

 

[Mahoshonen]

This is Ed Wood level of behavior. I'm starting to think Yahtzee was right to compare Ride to Hell Retribution with Plan 9 From Outer Space.

 

[Geo Da Sponge]

What the heck is this? I was just thinking yesterday that Games Workshop should put more effort into producing more computer games, and loosening up their grip on the IP there. My thinking is that most of the people who left Warhammer because of the growing price, or the many other problems it faces, will now be playing video games. So if you want to hook them on the universe again, setting out a wide variety of games that show off the diversity of the setting would be a great way to do it.

But... Not like this! Orks and Space Marines, Space Marines and Orks, like always!

Even the Spess Mehreen glaring in the margins seems upset. He's equipped his scowly helmet to reflect his apprehension about being involved in such a Shiteus Gargantuae.

Although fighting Orcs on neat and tidy croquet lawns is probably an improvement of working conditions for the poor sod.

Oh my goodness, he's literally an Angry Marine!

 

[Smooth Operator]

Damn I didn't know that rabbit hole goes so deep, but I did see it on Steam and after just two screen shots burst out laughing ... it looks so fucking horrid.

 

[Caliostro]

...I don't get it...

Usually GW is aggressively protective of their IPs... How did this come to be? It's a shameless re-skin of a game the same guys released 6 days before. There's just no excuse.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

What on Earth is Games Workshop doing? Are they that fucking desperate for cash with their falling sales (hint: they totally are).

Ever since THQ fell apart and Relic got swept up by Sega, Games Workshop has been selling their 40K license to any developer willing to bite. But so far, we've gotten this piece of shit, a crappy Space Hulk game, and an MMO turned what the fuck with Dark Millennium. Next up is another Space Hulk game, an FPS this time, which I think is being done by the Divine Cybermancy guys. So maybe it will be good, but the current track record has just been shit shit shit since Relic's last titles.

GW, despite being massive cunts, I feel really need to be more protective of their IP. I mean, there's a difference between being too protective (and suing people for using "Space Marine"), and not being protective enough (selling your IP to half baked developers in a desperate bid for a quick buck)

 

[Jandau]

For some time now, I've been wondering why GW has been so terrible at handling their IP in the gaming arena, particularly lately. Warhammer 40k is a pretty well know and well loved IP with a metric fuckton of lore to work with, and even Warhammer Fantasy is quite interesting once you delve into its nuances. But aside from a decent but unimaginative shooter in Space Marine, the gaming offerings of WH40 have been atrocious since Dawn of War ended. And even DoW was an exception more than anything, with gems such as Dark Omen and Final Liberation being ancient history by this point.

I don't think it would be hard to get good dev studios to work on the IP. Make a turn based strategy out of the main game, if nothing else. Or take the Dark Heresy tabletop (or Rogue Trader) and distill it into an RPG. Or use some of the nearly forgotten parts of the IP (like Epic or that space combat game). Seriously, it can't be that hard.

The thing is, I think GW DOESN'T WANT a strong presence in the gaming world. I think they fear it would undercut the sales of their main items if people could get their Warhammer fix that way. Instead, I think they want mediocre smaller releases, to maybe get the attention of people, maybe entice some new players to take a look at the IP. Now, I'm not saying that's a good strategy. In fact, I think it's downright stupid. But GW isn't exactly known for its forward thinking, now is it.

 

[Aeshi]

So it's a 40k themed-reskin of a Flash Game then? Because I have literally seen games either identical or near-identical to that on various Flash sites.

 

[Mangod]

For fucks sake...

You know, we had a discussion about what GW could do with their IP in the video gaming scene (Necromunda as a XCOM: Enemy Unknown-style game; Battlefleet Gothic in the style of Homeworld; Inquisitor à-la Mass Effect; Epic as Total War...), and yet, THIS is what we get?

This?! What the hell is this shit?! GW acts like a bunch of asshats to all and sundry in the name of "protecting their IP", yet they allow this... this... thing is something they sign off on?

What. The. Glorious. F***. Is. Wrong. With. You. GW?

 

[KungFuJazzHands]

Why are Games Workshop handing out their IP to every Tom, Dick, and Harry developer? They're only looking forward to the future.

With 3D printing becoming more mainstream, I expect that GW are feeling threatened by it -- any consumer with access to a plastics printer can potentially save hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars making their own Warhammer miniatures. How does GW make the majority of their money? By selling overpriced metal and plastic figurines.

Games Workshop are simply farming their IP in the hopes of a long-term financial wellspring. Mark my words, they won't be producing miniatures in ten years.

 

[J Tyran]

I am going to be fair to those devs here, people are making to much of this game and are expecting something it was never going to be. Its a mobile focused light tactical game, people are expecting it to be Dawn of War 3 or something and its unrealistic.

I guess the mistake here was releasing it on the PC at all, I have seen a detailed play through by a prominent member of the Dawn of War: Elite Mod community and for what it is the game is okay. Its just something to tap away at on a phone and tablet, yes it could be better certainly. Warhammer 40k: Squad Commander on the PSP was a superb turn based strategy game and phones and tablets can easily handle a game like that now, this game doesn't come close to that but its still playable and with a few balance tweaks it should be decent enough if the price is right.

 

[ezaviel]

I would not be suprised if they turn out to have no actual right to the GW IP at all.

It is just so weird to think of GW giving their IP to a company with such a terrible recent track record. I mean, releasing a game that gets labelled by critics as "the worst game ever" should hurt your reputation somewhat.

 

[BQE]

Horrible horrible news.

Ed, that is some grade A sleuthing you've done here!
As a fan of 40k this is really not a game I ever wanted to be honest.

I know old Jummy Sterling has some footage on his youtube channel and the game looks pretty... mobile.

Absolutely, a commendable find that deserves to be an actual news article on the website. More people need to hear about this so as not to accidently support such maligned practices.

I'm quite disappointed with all this. I saw the 'game' in the steam featured tab and checked it out hoping for another strategy-oriented entry. I was saddened to find that it was just....that, whatever that is. Perhaps Eternal Crusade will show a bit more effort than this.

This is frustrating news, but I appreciate the insight.