Warhammer 40K: Space Marineis one of the more unusual titles in Relic Entertainment’s portfolio. Released on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2011, the game was a third-person hack-and-slash shooter that was set in the titularWarhammer 40Kuniverse. Up until then, Relic had almost exclusively worked on real-time strategy games, so most people probably did not expect the company to make a game in such a drastically different genre.Warhammer 40K: Space Marinewas heavily inspired by theGears of Warseries, and although it didn’t do much to stand out among all the other gritty, third-person shooters of its era, it was still a more-than-competent action title.
Even thoughWarhammer 40K: Space Marinewas a modest success, the game didn’t receive any sequels or re-releases for several years, and it remained trapped on legacy hardware. With Relic Entertainment moving on to other unrelated projects, it seemed likeSpace Marinewas condemned to obscurity. However, in 2024, theSpace Marinebrand was suddenly revivedwith the release ofWarhammer 40K: Space Marine 2. This title, which was developed by Saber Interactive instead of Relic, became an instant commercial hit, and thanks to its success, its predecessor is getting a remaster for modern platforms.
The Space Marine 1 Remaster Should Have Been Launched Months Ago
Sega is Making a Remaster of the Original Space Marine for Xbox, Game Pass, and PC
During the 2025 Warhammer SKULLS showcase, Sega, Relic Entertainment, and Sneakybox announced that the originalSpace Marinewould receivean enhanced re-release calledWarhammer 40K: Space Marine - Master Crafted Edition. This new version of the game contains pretty much all the content that was included in its initial release, such as the Chaos Unleashed Map Pack and the Dreadnought Assault DLC. It also features all the multiplayer modes that were present in the firstSpace Marine, as well as full cross-play functionality. Players can squad up with their friends, regardless of the platforms they’re playing on, to fight to the death in 8v8 matches.
In addition to all the returning content, theMaster Crafted Editionalso includes graphical enhancements, quality-of-life upgrades, new control schemes, modernized UIs, and remastered audio. In other words, it isn’t just a simple port. As great as this all sounds, though, there are a few caveats to this remaster. For one, it willonly be available on Xbox Series X/S and PCat launch, meaning PlayStation and Nintendo players will not have the option to join in on the fun. Furthermore, the game is also going to cost $40, and it doesn’t seem there will be any upgrade path for PC gamers who already own the original version ofSpace Marine. However, it will be playable on Xbox Game Pass on day one.
The Space Marine 1 Remaster Should’ve Been Released Before Space Marine 2, Not After
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine - Master Crafted Editionis going to be released on June 10, so gamers don’t have to wait too long to play it for themselves. Although it’s nice that this remaster is coming out so soon, it feels like it’s being launched at the wrong time. Sega could have capitalized a lot more onthe success ofWarhammer 40K: Space Marine 2by releasing theMaster Crafted Editionbefore the sequel came out, not after. Plus, the game is being released in a very crowded timeframe, only five days after the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. Since it’s just a re-release of a relatively old title, it’s likely to be overshadowed.
It Would Make More Sense for Sega to Release the Remaster on All Platforms, Including PS5
In order to make this remaster accessible to as broad an audience as possible, Sega should’ve released it on PlayStation 5, in addition to Xbox and PC. Both the originalSpace MarineandSpace Marine 2were already available on PlayStation consoles, so it doesn’t make much sense to skip the platform. At the end of the day, though, what’s done is done, and the launch of theMaster Crafted Editionwill likely not be changed. That said, Sega could, at the very least, make up for the absence of PlayStation and Nintendo ports by releasing the game on those platforms later on. That way, it could get people prepped up forthe upcoming launch ofWarhammer 40K: Space Marine 3, which was announced a few months ago.
