New Warhammer 40,000 Animation Shows What a First-Person Chaos Space Marine Game Could Be Like
The hugely popular Space Marine 2 did a great job of delivering third-person action, but what about a big-budget first-person Space Marine game? So far, that doesn’t exist, but the latest Warhammer 40,000 animated show from Games Workshop gives fans an idea of what it might look like. The show’s debut trailer, titled The Butcher’s Nails, promises an immersive and chaotic experience that could serve as a blueprint for a future first-person game.
During Games Workshop’s Big Summer Preview showcase, the UK company revealed the debut trailer for The Butcher’s Nails, which is set to be released on the company’s streaming platform, Warhammer TV. The gory clip follows a World Eaters Berzerker named Makrath, who joins forces with members of the Iron Warriors during an assault on loyalist Space Marines supported by the Astra Militarum.
The trailer shows Makrath tearing through enemies from a first-person perspective, giving viewers a glimpse into what a World Eaters Berzerker sees from inside his helmet. There are familiar, Space Marine HUD elements — the kind you’d expect in a first-person Space Marine video game. Makrath’s Bolter is positioned at the bottom of the screen, just as you’d expect in a first-person shooter. You even see the outlines of enemies as if they’re marked, similar to many sci-fi first-person shooters. One particularly memorable moment shows Makrath executing an Imperial Fist with a Bolter shot to the face — a scene reminiscent of Doom.
Yes, it very much looks like a first-person Chaos Space Marine game to me, and I now think that’s something I would very much want. Space Marine 2 is wonderful, don’t get me wrong. But there’s something about a first-person perspective that I think would make for a more intense experience, and playing as a Chaos Space Marine would be a welcome change of pace.
Why the World Eaters Are Perfect for a First-Person Game
The World Eaters are the angriest Space Marine legion, their primarch being Angron — a figure known for his unrelenting rage. The Butcher's Nails, after which this animated show is named, are implants that turned the World Eaters into crazed gladiators, driving them further down the path to Chaos. In the current Warhammer 40,000 setting, the World Eaters rampage across the galaxy, slaughtering anything and everything in their path without rhyme or reason. Angron, now the Daemon Primarch of Khorne, is angrier than ever. Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne! And so on.
The World Eaters would be the perfect fit for an ultra-gory, relentlessly violent, fast-paced first-person melee shooter hybrid. Imagine speeding toward those righteous Space Marines and Astra Militarum soldiers and tearing them apart — all from the perspective of a Berzerker in the thick of the chaos.
The Butcher’s Nails and the Future of Warhammer 40,000 Gaming
Hammer and Bolter: The Butcher's Nails Trailer | Big Summer Preview 2026! pic.twitter.com/Noq5SmzQNJ — Jesus 40k Worldview (@40kWorldview) June 26, 2026
And yes, I know the excellent Boltgun exists, and a sequel is on the way. But I'm talking about a first-person Space Marine game that isn’t a boomer shooter and isn’t all about making the Ultramarines flex their muscles like the Warhammer 40,000 poster boys they are. Don’t get me wrong, Boltgun is great, but what I have in mind is different. It's, well, it's this animation in video game form.
On Warhammer Community, Games Workshop stated that “much of the action is from Makrath’s perspective — literally depicting what he sees from inside his helmet.” They also noted that “The action is relentless — the entire episode is almost a single non-stop fight scene.”
In other Warhammer 40,000 news, it emerged this week that popular Tabletop Simulator Steam mods that recreate the in-person Warhammer 40,000 game have received takedown requests from Games Workshop, sparking a backlash within the community.
