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Publisher THQ's long standing Warhammer 40,000 game license will apparently continue for a while longer. The company has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Games Workshop for an extension of its license to make PC and other games based on the classic sci-fi war game series. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed nor was the length of the newly extended agreement.

THQ has released a number of Warhammer 40,000 games over the years including the Dawn of War RTS game series from developer Relic. Relic is working on the third person action game Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine for release this summer and we are still awaiting the long-in-development MMO Warhammer 40,000 Dark Millennium Online from developer Vigil Games.

The switch from Games For Windows Live to Steam may have helded Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution's overall sales, according to reps from the sci-fi RTS game's developer Relic and its publisher THQ. In a new interview over at The A List Daily, THQ's Director of Global Brand Management Georgina Verdon said, "Going exclusive through Steam helped drive awareness with their millions of users by way of banners and message support so by the time we opened the beta up to all Steam customers, we had a huge number of people playing."

Those effots, along with some others like streaming beta matches with top Starcraft players, ended up being very successful for the game, with Verdon saying, "This hype and activity helped us exceed our digital pre-order forecast by 129 percent."

The game's Last Stand multiplayer gameplay mode is now available to purchase and download via Steam, under the title The Last Standalone, for a mere $10.

If you have yet to purchase the recently released Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution, you will soon be able to play a stand alone version of the RTS game's Last Stand mode. Computer and Video Games reports that the Last Stand mode will be released on Wednesday via Steam for just $10.

The game, titled The Last Standalone, will have all of the content contained in the Last Stand mode created by developer Relic. If players want to try out the rest of Retribution, they will be able to upgrade to the full version for a reduced price.

The Warhammer 40,000 franchise has been made into many pC and console games before but none have been quite like what developer Relic and publisher THQ are trying to with the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine.

The first video developers diary for the third person action game has been released and shows off a lot of very bloody gameplay as the Space Marine that you will get to control pretty much shoots, kicks, and slices his way through a sea of different kinds of Orks. Team members from Relic also talk about the game's storyline, the different types of Orks the player will encounter and much more. The game itself is due for release this August.

Download the Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine "Be a Space Marine" dev diary video at Big Download

Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution will be getting its first paid downloadable mini-expansion on April 6. The recent sci-fi RTS game from developer Relic Entertainment will provide players on that day with the Dark Angels DLC pack for $7.50.

The Dark Angels pack will add eight new models to the Space Marines side along with new color set-ups for the rest. For example, the Force Commander will be in the DLC pack by a Dark Angels Company Master. That's him above with the feathery wing head gear. All of the Space Marine vehicles will be getting some new custom emblems and designs.

April 6 will also see the release of a free DLC pack for the game that will add 12 new Steam Achievements that also correspond to 12 new wargear parts for the game's Last Stand mode.

As Relic Entertainment gets its players ready for the end of Company of Heroes Online, the developer has also released a new beta patch via Steam for the original retail version of its WWII RTS game. The patch notes for the beta update show a number of community-made maps have been added along with adjustments to other maps and other changes and additions.

Meanwhile Company of Heroes Online is still scheduled to shut down its servers after March 31. The web site already has a farewell message from the Relic team, hinting that the game franchise will continue in some form, saying, " Everyone at Relic appreciates the love that fans clearly have for the game, and hope that you'll be pleased with what we're working on as the next step for the franchise."

Earlier this week we reported that developer Relic would be releasing a free content update for its latest RTS game Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution that would add new wargear items via 12 new Steam achievements in the game's Last Stand mode. Now the game's official community web site has posted up exactly what wargear items will be available.

Each of the game's heroes will be able to get two new wargear items as a result of the update but the site states, " ... expect some steep challenges to unlock the corresponding wargear." As an example the Imperial Guard Lord General hero will be able to unlock the Black Plate armor that improves melee resistance. It will also get access to unlock the Duelist Honors that will greatly increase its melee attack. The free update will be made available on April 6.

Developer Relic is wasting no time in offering fans some new content for the recently released RTS game Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution. Today the game's publisher THQ sent over word that a content update for the game will be released on April 6.

The update will add 12 new Steam achievements to the game's Last Stand co-op survival mode. Each new achievement will also unlock a new piece of wargear for players to use in the game. There's no word yet on what the 12 achievements will be like nor what the wargear will consist of

[Via email press release]

If you haven't yet played Company of Heroes Online but thought that you still had some time to download and play the game before it shuts down for good, you are officially too late. The game's official web site has announced that client downloads for Relic's free-to-play WWII RTS game have officially been disabled as of today.

Players who have already downloaded the client and have established an account to play the game still have about two more weeks to fight on the virtual battlefields of Europe. As we reported a few weeks ago Company of Heroes Online will shut down its servers for good on March 31.

When it comes to fighting an eternal intergalactic war, few games compare to the Dawn of War series. Dawn of War II - Retribution ups the stakes by including a number of gameplay changes and improvements compared to the previous games, with the most prominent feature being the inclusion of six playable races for the campaign mode. Although the events from Chaos Rising shape what's happening in the sector, the Space Marine campaign isn't a direct sequel and the amount of corruption or purity players chose to stick with have no bearing on Retribution. All the campaigns use the same series of maps with special events and dialogue changed to suit the player's faction. They also pretty much follow the plot of defeating a Chaos plot to gain power while trying to stop the Imperium from purging all life from the sector, but are enough differences in characters and motivation to make each story feel unique. Especially when playing a faction like Chaos and battling the Space Marine heroes featured in previous games.

Check out all Dawn of War 2 - Retribution Downloads