Hold onto your bolter, Warhammer fans, because a keen-eyed Total War enthusiast might have just uncovered the biggest gaming secret of the year. With The Game Awards just hours away, whispers of a Total War: Warhammer 40,000 announcement are reaching a fever pitch. But here's where it gets controversial: one Reddit user claims to have spotted concrete evidence hidden in plain sight—or rather, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment during Creative Assembly's recent livestream.
Creative Assembly, the masterminds behind the critically acclaimed Total War: Warhammer series, has confirmed a new game reveal at The Game Awards. While the studio has kept tight-lipped about the details, rumors have been swirling for months about a Warhammer 40,000 installment in their iconic strategy franchise. Redditor Knavbot took to the Total War subreddit to share a discovery that has the community buzzing: during the developer's 25th-anniversary showcase, where Total War: Medieval 3 was announced, a few elusive file names labeled 40k were spotted in the background. These files—40koutfieldsheet01base_colour, 40koutfieldsheet01material_map, and 40koutfieldsheet01normal—were nearly impossible to catch without slowing down the video to a crawl at the 32:42 mark.
But is this a deliberate leak or an accidental slip? Creative Assembly was discussing their new game engine during this segment, which promises to bring their titles to consoles for the first time. If this is indeed a Total War: Warhammer 40,000 reveal, it’s safe to assume the game will launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. However, let’s not forget that the Total War announcement at The Game Awards could still be something entirely different—perhaps the rumored Star Wars spin-off?
And this is the part most people miss: Warhammer 40,000 leaks often emerge from unexpected places, like file names in videos. Remember when the appearance of Lion El'Jonson in Dawn of War 4 was leaked via similar means? Developer King Art Games later admitted it was an accident. So, did Creative Assembly intentionally leave these breadcrumbs, or is this just a coincidence?
For many fans, the announcement won’t come as a shock, given the flood of rumors circulating in the Games Workshop community. Yet, until it’s official, speculation is all we have. What do you think? Is this the real deal, or are we reading too much into a few file names? Let us know in the comments—and stay tuned for The Game Awards to find out for sure. For more predictions and leaks, check out our full roundup here.
Wesley Yin-Poole is Director, News at IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @wyp100 or reach out via wesley_yinpoole@ign.com. For confidential tips, email wyp100@proton.me.
