While Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IV looks set to take the series back to its roots in terms of gameplay, it won't be featuring the original protagonist of the franchise. That's right, Gabriel Angelos, Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens, is taking a back seat in the new game.
"That was actually one of the decisions we made relatively early," said Dawn of War IV's creative director Jan Theysen in speaking with IGN. "We don't want Gabriel Angelos in the game. For us, he felt a little bit overpowered."
"It's a little bit weird to have either this slightly overpowered character from the beginning of the game, which is a little bit off, or you have to do, 'Oh, well, he lost his memory and he lost all his power,' which is also a weird trope," Theysen continued.
This doesn't mean fan-favourite characters won't return. Scout master Cyrus is coming back, as well as the Blood Ravens' chief Librarian Jonah Orion. Angelos has been in every game in some capacity, although he wasn't playable in the second Dawn of War game, only appearing at the end of its base campaign.