Skaven Finally Star in Their Own Warhammer Game

"Vihneek's story is anchored in the rich lore of the Age of Sigmar, where the Skaven have erupted to seize the Mortal Realms for themselves." That's the setup for Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster, a 2D stealth-action platformer announced today during the Warhammer Skulls Showcase 2026. Publisher Dotemu and developer Old Skull Games are putting one of Warhammer's most beloved factions front and centre for the first time in their own game, and I'm a little stunned it took this long.

The Skaven are arguably the most popular faction across Games Workshop's entire roster. They dominate tabletop meta discussions, they steal every scene in Total War: Warhammer, and fan demand for more rat-centric content has been a running joke in the community for years. Yet somehow, no game has ever let you actually play as one in a dedicated, character-driven experience. Deathmaster changes that. You play as Vihneek, a member of the Eshin Clan, an ambitious assassin who isn't content following orders and is instead carving a bloody path to the top of his clan's hierarchy.

From what's been shown, the game leans hard into stealth. Skulking through shadows, setting traps, and eliminating enemies from the darkness appear to be the core loop. Hands-off previews from the Dotemu event describe visceral combat and a striking art direction that uses light and shadow both as visual style and as a mechanical system. Old Skull Games, founded in 2012, hasn't shipped anything at this scale before, but Dotemu's track record as a publisher, with titles like Streets of Rage 4 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, gives me some confidence they know how to shepherd a quality 2D action game.

A Skaven, Not a Space Marine

What excites me most here is the perspective shift. Warhammer games almost always put you in the boots of the Imperium's finest, or at least some flavour of heroic faction. Playing as a Skaven assassin, a creature motivated entirely by selfish ambition and violence, is a different tone for a Warhammer game. The Age of Sigmar setting doesn't get nearly enough love in the video game space either. Most Warhammer titles default to 40K or the old Fantasy Battles universe, so seeing AoS get a game that looks like it was built with real affection for the source material is refreshing.

Vihneek isn't fighting for honour or the Emperor. According to the game's description, he's "devoted to ascending to the top of his shadowy Eshin clan at all costs." That's a Skaven story through and through, and if the writing matches the visual quality shown in the trailer, this could be one of the more memorable Warhammer narratives in years.

Deathmaster is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 in 2027. No specific release window beyond the year has been given. Given how packed the Warhammer pipeline already is, with Boltgun 2, Dawn of War IV, and Dark Heresy all in various stages of development, Games Workshop is clearly flooding the zone. Deathmaster stands out from that crowd by being smaller in scope but sharper in focus, and sometimes that's exactly what a franchise needs.