Games Workshop has shown a new look at Astartes II, the sequel to the fan-made Astartes animation that became the company’s own project. The new footage comes from Games Workshop’s ‘Big Autumn Preview’ event, and it confirms Deathwatch, Terminators, and a Space Hulk setting for the story.
A shadowy interior, surely home to horrors lurking in the dark, forms the setting for Space Marines marching through it in the trailer. A corridor illuminated only by spotlights, seen from a first-person view, stands out as the clearest nod to the source material. Games Workshop has said fans of Space Hulk will recognize much about it.
The Origin of Astartes
Syama Pedersen, a superfan, created the original animation for Astartes on her own. Her work was so good that Games Workshop brought her into the fold to make the official sequel, Astartes II.
The original is widely accepted as the greatest Warhammer 40,000 animation ever made, official or unofficial. Only Amazon’s excellent Space Marine 2 animation for the Secret Level anthology series comes close in quality terms. Astartes also inspired Saber Interactive’s hugely successful Space Marine 2, which copied the look and feel of the Space Marines themselves.
What the Trailer Shows
A Deathwatch unit investigates a Space Hulk in the new trailer. The premise is simple: a small team enters a vast, drifting mass of wrecked starships to track down their quarry. It hits its mark precisely where fans wanted it to hit, and nothing more.
The company confirmed that Deathwatch and Terminators will be part of the show, and it was noted early on that the setting carries Space Hulk vibes. The lineup of storm bolter barrels and the sound of a power fist, set against the ominous surroundings, certainly give off some strong Space Hulk vibes.
A seasoned Space Marine who has left his helmet behind is easier to pick out than the plain metal heads of the Terminators around him. He would certainly qualify as weathered. Games Workshop counts at least three distinct characters and Chapters of Space Marines among those shown in the trailer.
The Scale of the Original Teaser
The teaser for Astartes II last year pointed to a level of scale and quality that had never been seen before from Warhammer 40,000. The preview covered combat across a broad range of settings, from close fighting to gun battles, vehicles, and spaceship engagements. Several Space Marine chapters were shown locked in battle across varied environments, with multiple enemy races, including Tyranids, Orks, and Tau, taking part.
None of that footage appears in the Astartes 2 animation itself. That’s what a post on the Warhammer Community website states: “This teaser trailer is not actually clips from the new animation, instead showing a compilation of shots that represent the former lives of the characters that will appear in the show.” The post notes there is a pretty unsubtle hint at the end as to the nature of the final story, and it invites viewers to speculate and put the pieces together themselves.
Why the Teaser Mattered
What the teaser did was shape what people expected to see. It proved what the team was capable of, even though the footage wasn’t taken from the finished show. The teaser also suggested where the story was going.
Last November’s announcement included a promo video showing animation work on a monitor screen, with a squad of Terminators apparently protecting an unnamed human soldier. That footage came from the Inquisition-led Deathwatch Terminator squad, which first appeared in incomplete form in the debut Astartes 2 teaser.
The pauldron emblems match the same five chapters as before: Retributors, Mortifactors, Scythes of The Emperor, Sons of Medusa, and Angels Vermilion.
The Length Comparison
Astartes II will run significantly longer than its predecessor, according to Games Workshop. That makes sense given that the earlier game was a single-person fan project and therefore on the short side.
“We knew already that this was likely to feature Deathwatch and Terminators, from the unsubtle hints dropped at the end of the LAST trailer, and now we see them, they look like they mean business,” Games Workshop said.
What Fans Know Now
The trailer’s reveal of cast, setting, and tone confirms the project’s direction. The show will run longer than its predecessor, which is welcome news to a fanbase that has waited years for this.
The Deathwatch unit investigation of a Space Hulk is a classic Warhammer 40,000 scenario. The presence of Terminators adds weight to the investigation, as they are the elite of the Space Marines.
The Release Date
This December, Astartes II arrives on Warhammer+, the streaming service operated by Games Workshop.
The stated aim is to achieve a scale and level of quality that has never been attempted before, despite the fact that the video shown was not from the actual production.
Key Details Confirmed
- Deathwatch unit investigating a Space Hulk
- Terminators appearing in the show
- Astartes II will be significantly longer than its predecessor
- The Space Hulk vibes are a clear influence on the setting
- The unhelmeted veteran Space Marine is among the confirmed characters
The preview has served its purpose. It has verified the important facts, and it has recalled for all why this stands as the most awaited Warhammer 40,000 animation to date.
See the video the story is built around at IGN.
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