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SoulframeKING Art Games
KING Art Games is the independent studio in Bremen, Germany, making Dawn of War 4, published by Deep Silver, a division of PLAION. It made the RTS Iron Harvest, and Dawn of War 4 is the first main game in the series not by Relic; no maker has published a reason for the move.
KING Art Games, an independent studio in Bremen, Germany, nearly 25 years old in Oct 2025, is making Dawn of War 4, published by Deep Silver, a division of PLAION. Its previous RTS is Iron Harvest. This is the first main Dawn of War game not made by Relic, since Iron Lore made the Soulstorm expansion, and no maker has published a reason for the move as of Oct 31, 2026. Relic is not making it, and Jan Theysen told IGN that KING Art did not call or talk to the studio directly. The clip is the Oct 2026 Game Overview Trailer.
Quick facts
| Developer | KING Art Games, Bremen, Germany |
| Publisher | Deep Silver, a division of PLAION (Hofen, Austria) |
| Licensor | Games Workshop |
| Co-founder and creative director | Jan Theysen, Game Director on Dawn of War 4 in the delay post |
| Time on the game | Four years by Nov 2025 |
| Earlier RTS | Iron Harvest (2020) |
| Story partner | John French, Black Library author |
| Is Relic making it? | No |
Sources: KING Art, Oct 27, 2025; Steam; KING Art, Nov 14, 2025; KING Art on the Combat Director, Dec 2, 2025; KING Art's delay post, Aug 12, 2026.
The studio
KING Art describes itself as making games that mix storytelling with thoughtful design for nearly 25 years. Iron Harvest, an alternate 1920s RTS with diesel-punk mechs, is what it calls its first full-blown RTS, and it also made The Book of Unwritten Tales. Theysen frames Dawn of War 4 as story-driven games and RTS finally coming together.
People named in KING Art's posts include Theysen, Senior Game Designer Elliott Verbiest and QA Lead Orvie Thumel, a former Dawn of War 2 shoutcaster. The team had worked on the game for four years by Nov 2025. Its guiding question was what a modern version of the first Dawn of War would look like, which explains the return of Base Building. The clip is KING Art's Sep 2026 Battlefield Report.
How KING Art got the game
Theysen told IGN that someone at Games Workshop noticed Iron Harvest's open development and asked what KING Art would do with a Dawn of War 4. After Iron Harvest did well, Games Workshop came back; KING Art then asked its Iron Harvest publisher, Deep Silver, who agreed, and the three came together. MeinMMO gives the same account.
Why Relic is not making Dawn of War 4
No statement from Relic, Sega, Games Workshop, KING Art or Deep Silver explains why the series moved, and the terms of the license are unpublished. What sources do show:
- Every earlier main game was Relic's, and Iron Lore made Soulstorm.
- THQ held a broad Warhammer 40,000 video game license until its bankruptcy ended it, after which Sega and Relic renewed only the RTS part, per Relic's Philippe Boulle in an IGN interview. See Dawn of War Games in Order.
- Relic split from Sega Europe in March 2024 and took backing from Emona Capital in May 2024. Other coverage describes the deal differently, and terms were not published.
- Relic, Sega and Games Workshop arranged to keep the old games on Steam and allow the Definitive Edition, per Boulle, and Relic released Definitive Edition on Aug 14, 2025.
Wargamer argues that Dawn of War 3's poor reception explains the change, citing fewer than 500 players within a year. That is Wargamer's view and not a statement from anyone involved. More on that game is on Dawn of War 3.
Deep Silver and PLAION
Deep Silver is the publisher and PLAION the parent. Deep Silver hosts the game's official page and FAQ, and PLAION issues the press releases. KING Art's own posts carry the development news on Steam. Prices are on Editions and Price.
The delay
On Aug 12, 2026 KING Art moved the game from Sep 17 to Dec 3, 2026. Theysen's reasons were performance, bug fixes and polish, along with getting more community feedback in, with thousands of playtesters. Dates are on Release Date and Launch Time, and tests are on Closed Beta and Playtests. The clip is that update; its captions mistranscribe the game's number.
KING Art treats the campaign and multiplayer as separately balanced and says stories and campaigns are more important than some older RTS games realized. Its multiplayer plans were set out in a Jul 2026 AMA post; see Multiplayer.
What is uncertain
As of Oct 31, 2026, sales expectations, team size, the license's length and whether Relic holds any rights or revenue from Dawn of War 4 are all unpublished. This page sticks to what the companies and the named press have said.
Frequently asked questions
Who is making Dawn of War 4? KING Art Games, an independent studio in Bremen, Germany, is making Dawn of War 4, published by Deep Silver.
Why is Relic not making Dawn of War 4? No maker has published a reason as of Oct 31, 2026. Jan Theysen says Games Workshop approached KING Art after noticing Iron Harvest, and Wargamer's view that Dawn of War 3's reception explains it is only its own argument.
Is Relic involved in Dawn of War 4? No statement shows Relic taking part. Jan Theysen told IGN that KING Art did not call or talk to Relic directly, and studied the old games instead.
What else has KING Art made? KING Art made the RTS Iron Harvest and The Book of Unwritten Tales before Dawn of War 4.
Who published Iron Harvest and Dawn of War 4? Deep Silver, per Jan Theysen's account to IGN, was KING Art's Iron Harvest publisher and now publishes Dawn of War 4.
How long has KING Art worked on Dawn of War 4? KING Art said in Nov 2025 that it had worked on Dawn of War 4 for four years.
Sources
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV - Battlefield Report - 1v1 Annihilation Orks vs Necrons, KING Art Games (Steam news), Sep 9, 2026
- Dawn of War 4 delayed, Insider Gaming, Aug 13, 2026
- Delayed to December 3rd for More Polish, GamingBolt, Aug 13, 2026
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV - Release Date Update, KING Art Games (Steam news), Aug 12, 2026
- AMA Developer Blog - Multiplayer, KING Art Games (Steam news), Jul 24, 2026
- The Next Chapter of Dawn of War Begins on September 17, PLAION press, May 21, 2026
- Take a closer look at Dawn of War IV's brutally satisfying Combat Director, KING Art Games (Steam news), Dec 2, 2025
- Crafting an epic Dawn of War IV story fit for the Warhammer 40,000 universe!, KING Art Games (Steam news), Nov 20, 2025
- What we're building with Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, KING Art Games (Steam news), Nov 14, 2025
- Meet KING Art Games, the studio behind Dawn of War IV, KING Art Games (Steam news), Oct 27, 2025
- Jan Theysen on the license, MeinMMO, Sep 25, 2025
- The big Dawn of War 4 interview, IGN, Aug 28, 2025
- Warhammer Dawn of War 4 swaps developers, Wargamer, Aug 20, 2025
- Dawn of War - Definitive Edition Out Now, Relic (Steam news), Aug 14, 2025
- The Dawn of War Definitive Edition interview, IGN, May 22, 2025
- Relic partners with investment firm to go fully indie again, Game Developer, May 22, 2024
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm, Metacritic
- Dawn of War IV game page and FAQ, Deep Silver
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV, Steam
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV - Official Game Overview Trailer, Dawn of War IV, Oct 21, 2026 (video)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV Battlefield Report - 2v2 Team Domination, Dawn of War IV, Sep 16, 2026 (video)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV - Release Date Update, Dawn of War IV, Aug 12, 2026 (video)
Moments
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV - Official Game Overview Trailer
Dawn of War IV
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV Battlefield Report - 2v2 Team Domination
Dawn of War IV
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV - Release Date Update
Dawn of War IV
Related
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Characters and Voice CastDawn of War 4's published voice cast includes Steve Blum as Cyrus, Brian Drummond returning as Gorgutz, Aaron Neil as Jonah Orion, Alistair Petrie as The Lion and Ben Whitehead as Nulpherus-1. KING Art named 16 performers on Aug 5, 2026; Ahmnok's voice is not among them.
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Closed Beta and PlaytestsDawn of War 4's closed beta ran Oct 21 to 26, 2026, after two closed alphas in Nov and Dec 2025, and it is over. No open beta or demo has been announced as of Oct 31, 2026, so the next way to play is the launch, Nov 30 with the Commander Edition or Dec 3, 2026.
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Previews and ReceptionDawn of War 4 has no reviews and no Metacritic or OpenCritic score as of Oct 31, 2026; the game is out Dec 3, 2026. What exists are previews of a pre-release build with two full campaigns, mostly warm, with Gameswelt among those naming problems.
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Story and SettingDawn of War 4 is set on the planet Kronus about 200 years after Dark Crusade, cut off by the Great Rift, where Space Marines, Orks, Necrons and the Adeptus Mechanicus collide over a buried Necron complex. Black Library author John French co-wrote the story with KING Art, and the game is out Dec 3, 2026.
- System Requirements and PlatformsDawn of War 4's system requirements had not been published as of Oct 31, 2026; Steam says only that it needs a 64-bit processor and operating system. It is announced for Windows on Steam only, with no console, Mac or native Linux version, and no stated Steam Deck status.
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Year One RoadmapDawn of War 4's Year One roadmap runs through 2027 with free updates (Crusade Mode, four map packs, the Mission Editor, Lord Ahmnok and Guzcutta for Last Stand and Crusade) and two paid expansions, Blood Ravens Story Prologue and Aftermath. Steam gives no exact dates and marks it subject to change.
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Adeptus Mechanicus CampaignDawn of War 4's Adeptus Mechanicus campaign centers on an expedition into a Necron tomb on Kronus and a choice between siding with Magos Dominus Nulpherus-1 as Marshal Sek-Ix-23 or breaking ranks with the Technoarcheologist Potentia Delta-9. It was in the Oct 2026 preview build in full; its mission count is unpublished.
See also
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Base BuildingYes, Dawn of War 4 has base building, and KING Art calls the system very similar to the first game's. Buildings unlock units and research, and each of the four factions builds in its own way.
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Dawn of War Games in OrderThe Dawn of War series runs Dawn of War (2004), Winter Assault, Dark Crusade, Soulstorm, Dawn of War 2 (2009), Chaos Rising, Retribution, Dawn of War 3 (2017) and Dawn of War 4 (Dec 3, 2026), plus the 2025 Definitive Edition of the first game. None of them is required before Dawn of War 4, which KING Art calls a new story.
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Definitive EditionWarhammer 40,000 Dawn of War: Definitive Edition is Relic's remaster of the first game and its three expansions, released Aug 14, 2025 on Steam and GOG at $29.99. It adds 4K, 64-bit and a mod manager but does not rebalance the game; the cheaper Anniversary Edition is the unremastered bundle.
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Dawn of War 3Dawn of War 3 came out on Apr 27, 2017. Critics gave it a respectable 77, but its mix of real-time strategy and MOBA ideas lost players, Relic stopped major content within a year, and Dawn of War 4 returned to the first game as its model.
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Editions and PriceDawn of War 4 costs $59.99 for the Standard Edition and $89.99 for the Commander Edition, which adds a 3-Day Early Unlock, both paid expansions and the digital soundtrack. Pre-orders on Steam were 10% off on Oct 31, 2026, at $53.99 and $80.99.
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Release Date and Launch TimeDawn of War 4 comes out on Dec 3, 2026 on Steam, and Commander Edition owners can play from Nov 30, 2026. As of Oct 31, 2026 no launch hour and no pre-load date have been announced for either day.