One of the coolest reveals at last week’s Warhammer Skulls event was Boltgun 2, a sequel to the lovingly made blend of Warhammer 40K and retro Doom games. That first game earned itself a place in many people’s hearts, a loving homage to two worlds. But now there’s a sequel cooking away, and all eyes are on the future.
So to help peel back the curtain just a little on Boltgun 2, I chatted to principal designer Matt Bone. We touched on what to expect from Boltgun 2 compared to the original, what it’s like making games within the Warhammer 40K IP, and whether or not a fan favourite will ever find a home on the tabletop.
VG247: Boltgun was received very positively from Warhammer fans and Retro Doom lovers alike – can you speak on how you feel about this reception to the original game?
Bone: During development we were really excited about the game, but it’s always impossible to predict what players will think until it’s in their hands. So, it was a huge relief when it was received so positively and went beyond even our highest hopes.
As the studio itself and everyone in it are big Warhammer fans, we were excited to share our passion for Warhammer with the players. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is essentially the game we wanted to play as fans ourselves; we just got the joy of being able to make it too.
The fact it became our studio’s biggest game is just testament to the enthusiasm of our team and our love for the Warhammer 40,000 universe. At the very core of Boltgun, we wanted to please both Warhammer 40,000 and retro shooter fans, and it feels like it was a success on both fronts. All the love from our community and the Warhammer 40,000 community was beyond our expectations.
Now we are aiming to do it all over again!
We’re excited to continue working with Games Workshop to create more games for the audience, especially as we get to explore creative spin-offs like Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun – Words of Vengeance! That one was a lot of fun to make and we’re giving it away for free so it’s definitely worth a try.
VG247: What can we expect in terms of a change of setting in Boltgun 2? Where has Malum Caedo found himself now?
Bone: Malum Caedo won’t be limited to Graia in Boltgun 2, the branching campaign of his mission means he’ll be purging across new worlds. We can’t reveal all right now but we can share that there will be new, never-before-seen environments with all new enemies for Malum to face against. We’re adding some locations and enemies that fans have been asking for, and the sequel was a great place to include these.
We’ll have more to share in the future and can’t wait to show them off!
VG247: Tell me a bit more about the improvements we can expect from the original game! What is there in terms of new weapons, gameplay mechanics, etc?
Bone: It’s still a little early to share too much, but we definitely want to provide more variety in terms of the gameplay and the places the player will be visiting – and of course the heretics they’ll be purging. We’re doubling down on the things fans liked about Boltgun – its over the top, retro take on the Warhammer 40,000 universe – whilst providing plenty of new surprises. “Joyously Grimdark” is one of our design pillars, which I think conveys the tone of Boltgun games well: they’re a lovingly tongue-in-cheek celebration of Warhammer 40,000, revelling in the pixel glory of blood, gore and gloom! .
VG247: Will Horde mode be making a return from the first game?
Bone: It’s too early to say yet. We added horde mode as DLC for Boltgun and it seemed to go down well, so we’re looking into more unique modes like that, whether for the base game or post-launch. We rely a lot on player feedback for this kind of thing – if it’s something people are clamouring for, we’ll do our best to include it.
VG247: The original Boltgun was tied to the events of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine,with Caedo heading to Graia years after the events of the game. Now that Space Marine 2 has come out, can we expect similar ties between Boltgun 2 and Space Marine 2? Or, has the team been given more freedom to create a game totally separated from other 40K games?
Bone: It was great to pay homage to other Warhammer 40,000 video games which the team are big fans of two. For anyone unaware, the first Boltgun picks up directly after the events of Space Marine 1 as Ultramarine Malum Caedo goes on a mission to locate a lost shard of Space Marine 1’s vital artifact. We even put in a fun easter egg for Warhammer fans in Malum’s taunt to reference Captain Titus!
As for what’s to come in Boltgun 2, you’ll just need to play to find out what other fun Easter Eggs we’re hiding for the fans.
VG247. Games Workshop loves releasing named Space Marine characters for the tabletop game, and given he’s an Ultramarine, Caedo must have a good shot surely. Have any official discussions taken place on bringing Caedo to the tabletop? Or should fans keep at it with kitbashing?
Bone: We’d of course love it if one day there was a way for Malum Caedo to come to the official tabletop game, everyone in the studio would love to have him in their armies – I think we’d have to put in a studio wide order!
We absolutely love seeing all the amazing kitbashes of Malum Caedo that the fans regularly share with us and we’ve seen great examples across socials and reddit. When players tag us in pics of ones they’ve made, we share them within the dev team and everyone gets super hyped.
VG247. Auroch Digital has of course done more than just Boltgun. What’s it like working with Games Workshop for a licensed game like Boltgun 2, versus a totally independent venture?
Bone: For me, I love getting to play around in a universe that has literally decades of lore behind it. To call the Warhammer 40,000 universe huge is an understatement – every time I think I have a decent handle on it, I’ll discover a whole new part I knew nothing about, which usually results in me getting lost down a rabbit hole for a few hours. When it comes to making the game, that means we’re often starting a few steps ahead: want an exciting new enemy? Here’s a few hundred to choose from, along with exquisite models and pages of lore. Want a new location? Here’s a galaxy of worlds and stories to tap into.
In general, it’s vital that the game remains faithful to the IP, even in our retro-styled approach. We want to present it in a way that’s both unique and still the universe fans know and love. This is true for our Words of Vengeance project too. We had this crazy idea of making a Boltgun typing game, and Games Workshop – instead of questioning our sanity – were completely onboard and helped us massively in achieving it. They probably do still question our sanity, but that feels appropriate for the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Boltgun 2 is set to launch in 2026