At the annual Warhammer Skulls for the Skull Throne event earlier this year, the Warhammer 40,000 CRPG "Rogue Trader" and the retro FPS "Boltgun" were announced, but we also heard rumors of a "Warpforge" We also heard rumors of a digital card game. Now, developer Everguild (also the developer of "Horus Heresy: Legions") has announced that an alpha build of Warpforge will be available during Steam Next Fest, and those who try this build will receive a limited cosmetic at the main launch next year rewards.

Two factions of Warpforge will be playable during the Steam demo celebration, with players able to choose between the Goff Clan of Orcs and the Ultramarines. The Goff Clan are white-army specialists who dress in black and love to use bull horns as accessories, and many of them are natural leaders (the infamous Orc warlord Gazgukul Slaka is a Goff Clan member). The Ultramarines are the staunchest exemplars of space marines and the only loyal branch in which Primark is still alive and active. These two would be a fairly classic matchup of popular armies, but it appears that Necrons, Aeldari, Tyranids, and Chaos Marines will also appear in the main game.

In addition to single-player campaigns for each faction, Warpforge will feature draft and constructed competitive modes, limited-time special rules events, and what it calls "massive alliance wars that will also test the mettle of seasoned veterans."

Concurrent with the alpha build release, Everguild will host a live stream during Steam Next Fest on its plans and development roadmap for Warpforge. According to the press release, "Expect information about the initial army lineup, game modes, closed beta duration, supported languages, and more!" The company said. It also explains that those who play Warpforge's alpha build during the Steam Next Fest "can earn exclusive in-game cosmetics by participating or reaching certain milestones."

Steam Next Fest will run from October 3 through October 10 and will feature hundreds of demos of upcoming games and numerous live streams; Warpforge is scheduled for full release in 2023 and will be free to play in base. More information can be found on the Steam page (opens in new tab).