In what feels like nine out of ten Warhammer games, you’re either striding out in heavy Servo-armor, commanding massive armies, or at least fighting on the side of some halfway respectable faction.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster, on the other hand, makes a Skaven—of all things—the hero.Although “hero” might not be quite the right word for a sneaky rat-man whose preferred problem-solving strategy is a knife in the back.
The game was announced back in May 2026, but it’s likely flown under the radar for many of you until now. Now, developer Old Skull Games and publisher Dotemu have shown more detailed gameplay for the first time:
Mark of the Ninja with Rat People
Deathmaster will be a 2D single-player stealth-action platformer: You play as Vihneek, an ambitious assassin of the Eshin clan who wants to rise to the very top of the Skaven hierarchy.
In the gameplay trailer, Vihneek climbs along walls and ceilings, hides in the darkness, and uses his surroundings to bypass or take out enemies. Direct combat is also possible, but Deathmaster is clearly focused primarily on avoiding detection in the first place.
During your journey, you’ll collect Warpstones to upgrade your skills and equipment. Gradually, this will unlock new tools and abilities to spy on, outwit, and send enemies to the afterlife in the most gruesome ways possible.
The goal is right there in the name: Vihneek wants to climb the ranks within the Eshin Clan and eventually become the feared Deathmaster. The fact that, along this career path, one or two supposed allies will likely end up with a knife between their ribs should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the Skaven.
Comparisons toMark of the Ninjaare pretty obvious—and that’s exactly the name you see pop up strikingly often among fans’ initial reactions.
“I definitely have to get this”
The unusual choice of the main character, in particular, seems to strike a chord with fans:The gameplay trailer currently has several hundred upvotes in the Age of Sigmar subreddit, and the response in the comments is strikingly positive. Some of the reactions:
- The-Sys-Admin:“I’m really not a Skaven fan at all, but holy crap, that looks awesome. I’m definitely getting this.”
- CoronelPanic:“This is actually exactly how I had hoped it would play. Mark of the Ninja is just damn good.”
- Captaniser:“Holy shit. The first Age of Sigmar game that might not be a total flop? It actually looks pretty good. Mark of the Ninja with Skaven.”
- BucketofSlush:“Wow, that looks much better than I expected. I’ll take that.”
- Sir_Lazz:“Oh shit, man, I’d love to play this YESTERDAY.”
For the Skaven, the lead role is actually something special
The rat-men are, of course, anything but unknown within the Warhammer universe:In Total War: Warhammer 2 and 3, they can even be played as a full faction, and in Vermintide, they’re among the most prominent enemies of all. However, there has never been a game dedicated solely to their perspective.
Of course, it remains to be seen whether Deathmaster will actually live up to comparisons with one of the best 2D stealth games. But at the very least, the game does something you don’t see every day in Warhammer.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster is set to release in 2027 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2. However, there is no specific release date yet.
