Long-Awaited Warhammer 40,000 Animation Astartes 2 Is Back From the Dead With Incredible Teaser Trailer — but There’s a Catch

Games Workshop's highly anticipated Warhammer 40,000 animation, Astartes 2, has resurfaced with a breathtaking teaser trailer, captivating fans worldwide. However, a crucial detail emerges: the trailer showcases scenes not featured in the final animation.

Astartes 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the acclaimed fan-made original by Syama Pedersen, often cited as the pinnacle of Warhammer 40,000 animation. Its impact is undeniable, even inspiring Saber Interactive's successful Space Marine 2. Games Workshop subsequently hired Pedersen to helm the sequel.

After years of silence, the teaser trailer's release on January 29th, 2025, generated immense excitement. The trailer boasts unprecedented scale and quality, depicting intense melee combat, ranged firefights, vehicle warfare, and even epic spaceship battles. Various Space Marine chapters clash across diverse environments, facing off against Tyranids, Orks, and Tau.

Despite the hype, Games Workshop clarified on the Warhammer Community website that the trailer's footage is not from the actual animation. Instead, it's a montage representing the characters' past experiences, subtly hinting at the overarching narrative.

"This teaser trailer is not actually clips from the new animation, instead showing a compilation of shots that represent the former lives of the characters that will appear in the show. There’s a pretty unsubtle hint at the end as to the nature of the final story...We’ll leave you to speculate and start putting the pieces together yourselves.”

While undeniably impressive, the teaser's misleading nature is a concern. The lack of a disclaimer might lead many viewers to expect the depicted scenes in the final product.

Speculation is rife, with many believing the trailer depicts characters ultimately joining an Inquisition-led Deathwatch Terminator squad. This ambiguity fuels anticipation.

The Astartes 2 teaser has already sparked envy among Space Marine 2 fans, who hope to see some of its elements integrated into the game. The possibility of adding capes, for example, is a popular suggestion. With Saber Interactive continuing to update Space Marine 2, further inspiration from Astartes seems entirely plausible.