Games Workshop and Sega’s attempt to give the original Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine a chance to replicate Space Marine 2’s success seems to have failed.
Space Marine: Master Crafted Edition is a re-release(not a remaster, according to Sega and Games Workshop) of the original 2011 Space Marine that brings enhanced textures and character models, 4k resolution, remastered audio, and quality-of-life gameplay and UI enhancements.
Unfortunately, it seems to have failed miserably to recapture the essence of the original.It currently sits at a “Mostly Negative” rating on Steam,and it still has under 100 reviews.
Fewer Players Than The Original
The current Steam version of the original Space Marine, 2021’s Anniversary Edition, is still available for purchase alongside the Master Crafted Edition, with a “Very Positive” rating in contrast to the re-release.
Common complaints in theSteam reviewsare mostly focused onthe price for its minor changes, dead multiplayer modes, and some performance issues,generally coming to the consensus that Space Marine: Master Crafted Edition feels like a low-effort cash grab for $39.99, and anyone interested in Demetrian Titus’s origins would be better off sticking with the Anniversary Edition.
The Anniversary Edition has the same base price, but goes on sale frequently both on Steam and on alternative storefronts.
Not only that, but, according to SteamDB’s charts for both theAnniversaryandMaster CraftedEditions,the original has roughly four times the players of the re-release,both currently at time of writing and at its 24-hour peak, to say nothing of an all-time peak that’s almost 100 times higher.
Saber Reaffirms They Aren’t Abandoning Space Marine 2 for Part 3; Upcoming Patch Details Revealed
Space Marine 2’s Patch 7 “Trygon Update” is due for release in mid-April, bringing a new map, new skins and more.
That being said, neither has anything on Space Marine 2’sall-time peakthat’s still a full order of magnitude higher than that of Space Marine: Anniversary Edition, not to mention its ongoing developer support, withthe recent “Trygon” updateandSiege Mode coming later this month.
Speaking of Space Marine 2, in stark contrast to Space Marine: Master Crafted Edition, the sequelrecently passed a major sales milestoneof 7 million copies, Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactiveannounced, and is generally seen as a historic high point for Warhammer 40,000 video games.
It’s even paved the way foranother sequel coming in the future.
After Space Marine 2’s Success, Warhammer Company “Looking For The Next One”
Warhammer brand parent company Games Workshop is looking for the next Space Marine 2 video game hit.
