Warhammer Blood Bowl Video Game Franchise Rescued from Nacon's Collapse by Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector Publisher

Blood Bowl has been saved! The video game adaptation of Games Workshop’s Warhammer fantasy football tabletop game is now under the wing of Slitherine, the publisher behind Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. Slitherine has acquired the license, publishing rights, and back catalog from the struggling Nacon. Even better, Slitherine announced it will proceed with the next Warhammer Blood Bowl game previously announced by Nacon and will work with long-time series developer Cyanide Studio to bring it to life.

Back in February, AA publisher and developer Nacon filed for insolvency, casting doubt on the future of titles like GreedFall 2, Hell is Us, RoboCop, and Test Drive Unlimited. Nacon, which at the time housed 16 development studios and a publishing arm, said it was forced into this decision after its majority shareholder, Bigben Interactive, failed to repay a loan.

Blood Bowl 3 currently holds a 'mixed' user review rating on Steam, and it's fair to say the game fell short of fan expectations when it launched in 2023. IGN's Blood Bowl 3 review gave it a 5/10, stating, "Blood Bowl 3 is a sloppy, muddy, buggy rehash of a better game." However, as a big fan of Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, I'm hopeful that some of Slitherine's good work there will rub off on the next Blood Bowl game.

Here’s the official word from Slitherine on Blood Bowl:

Marco Minoli, Director of Publishing at Slitherine, commented: “Blood Bowl is one of the most iconic and distinctive strategy franchises in videogames, and we’re genuinely honored to help shape its future alongside Cyanide and Warhammer. We have enormous respect for what Cyanide has built over the years, and we’re excited to continue working closely with the team to support and grow the series together with its passionate community.”

Slitherine also confirmed its intention to continue actively supporting and expanding the Blood Bowl video game with "a strong focus on community feedback, long-term development, and ongoing player engagement."

Patrick Pligersdorffer, CEO of Cyanide, added: “We are delighted to partner with Slitherine to ensure the future of the Blood Bowl video games. Slitherine has proven its expertise, publishing high-quality strategy games. We believe it is a perfect match.”

Expect more details on the next Warhammer Blood Bowl during the Slitherine Next Event on July 22.