The Emperor's Champions - Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II Interview with Auroch Digital

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is already one of the best games we've seen from the plethora of titles released related to the grimdark 41st millennium, and one of the best boomer shooters emerging from recent years. There's a bit of pressure, then, for Auroch Digital in creating the sequel, as well as a lot of excitement. We spoke with Senior Audio Designer Matthew Walker and Principal Designer Matthew Bone about how they've balanced keeping what worked in the original game with making sure there's plenty of new stuff for players to enjoy. Check it out below, and check out our demo impressions of the game here.

Q: One of my favourite things about the first game was the sound design. The noises for the guns, the visceral blood splattering to the ground; it was all great. How do you go about bringing that into a sequel and improving it without stepping on what worked before?

Walker: "Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 offers a playground within which to break some theory rules. The mix of the most prominent audio features (weapons, enemies, gore etc.) need not adhere to "realistic' standards when placed in the space. This is an over-the-top soundscape that leans even harder into the genre and era with the sequel.

It's [the soundscape's] self-aware and wants the player to 100% feel and believe in the power-fantasy that comes with stepping into the armour of these characters - the mix hierarchy was refined for the follow-up, allowing for elements to punch through a little more."

Q: The level design has been improved for the sequel, and the maps are much easier to follow now. How do you go about upgrading that without just slapping the classic yellow paint as a guide?

Bone: "Thank you! We're glad to hear that you think the demo levels are an improvement on the original Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun; this is something we've worked hard on for the sequel as it was an area where we received a lot of feedback from players.

A lot of it comes from iteration and playtesting the original "blockout" prototype of a level, where we really refine how players are navigating the levels, and try to smooth out any problem areas. Then in the art pass we lean on aspects like lighting, using prominent landmarks, and making specific areas catch the player's eye or look particularly enticing. I'll usually say something unhelpfully vague to the artist working on a level like "can you make this bit really stand out, as the player needs to go this way" - and they'll work their magic into something that works.

It's always challenging, especially as in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 we're also really pushing the variety and inventiveness of levels in terms of their layouts and mechanics, which means we need to come up with equally inventive ways of guiding players. Beyond that, we've also brought across the Navigation Guide feature, which was introduced alongside the DLC for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. That should help a player if they get stuck anywhere."

Q: How have you evolved the narrative for Boltgun 2?

Bone: "In general we try to keep the narrative aspects lighter for Boltgun games or at least make sure they don't get in the player's way. That said, we have an incredible universe of lore to draw upon when it comes to Warhammer 40,000, and we make the most of that in terms of the environmental storytelling, the enemies and factions you fight, and the flavour and tone of the game.

One of the most important things for us when it came to Boltgun 2 was making sure the narrative supported our goal of gameplay variety: getting the player to visit loads of totally different environments and getting to fight all four Chaos factions. I'm pleased we achieved that, with a very cool story, and a central antagonist I can't wait for people to see. I'm also happy to say we'll have more cutscenes in the pixel-art style that players loved from Boltgun 1. They're looking incredible."

Q: Was there ever the idea to keep Malum as the sole protagonist but give him a different class, or did you always have a Sister of Battle in mind for Boltgun 2?

Bone: "Adding a second playable character to the game was one of the most requested features from fans of the original Boltgun. It also aligned neatly with one of our main goals for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, which was to add more variety to the game.

When it came to implementing that character, we looked at several factors, including player requests, their popularity in the wider Warhammer space, the difference in gameplay we could create, and ultimately what we thought we could execute the best. Plus, Sisters of Battle are just incredibly cool."

Q: Playing as Nyra definitely feels like a different experience from Malum with her speed being quite game-changing. Is it difficult to balance the campaign around the strengths of different playable characters, and how do you make sure both are satisfying to play?

Bone: "It was definitely trickier than creating a level for one character. Jumps were a challenge - Nyra is able to travel much further than Malum, which is both an issue for Malum not reaching platforms, but also Nyra reaching platforms we didn't think she'd be able to, and thus breaking levels.

Our QA team is particularly skilled at finding level exploits with Nyra that would not have been possible with Malum, which is both infuriating and incredibly useful. In general though I do like how the characters have different strengths and will result in different challenges in gameplay: Nyra may be able to leap further, making some jumps easier, but Malum has his chainsword lunge at enemies that gives him great mobility in a different way."

Q: I noticed that the invulnerability accessibility option is back. What's the decision-making process behind adding an option like that for players?

Walker: "Accessibility is very important for our team at Auroch Digital. We strongly believe that games are for everyone, so we always try to include various accessibility options when we are able to do so.

You may have noticed that in addition to the Invulnerability mode that existed in the original Boltgun, we've also added an Undying mode to the sequel. With this new mode, when you reach 0 health, you get a second wind in the form of some additional health. This offset something we felt with the Invulnerability mode, where health essentially became inconsequential."

Q: With a new protagonist and improved level design, strangely Boltgun 2 feels to me a bit like how Arkane evolved Dishonored for its sequel. Were there any sequels you looked at when making Boltgun 2 you were inspired by or wanted to emulate?

Bone: "I wouldn't say that there were any specific sequels that we looked at when developing Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2. Rather, it was a combination of both feedback from players and replaying other Boomer Shooters from that era. There's also an experience element to it, like in your example with Arkane. After making the first game, we're in a much better position to figure out what makes a good Boltgun level, then improve upon that."

Q: How wild are you allowed to go with the lore, as both Malum and Nyra take down foes that are typically too tough for just one Space Marine or Sororitas?

Walker: "Because of the tone of the game, we do step a little outside of the realities of the Warhammer 40,000 universe with Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun and its sequel. Things are pushed a little further to make them more enjoyable and to let players live in that power fantasy of being a powerful Space Marine or, in the case of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, a veteran Sister of Battle."

Q: We've fought a lot of Chaos. Would you consider having a DLC or full game where we go up against Xenos instead?

Bone: "Maybe! It's not something that's currently planned for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 though."

Q: What's your favourite new enemy introduced in Boltgun 2?

Bone: "I have a soft spot for Daemonettes. Once we decided we were going to incorporate all four Chaos factions in Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2, I knew we had to get them in. They were one of the trickier enemies to get right, with their huge leaping ability and a zigzagging phase attack, but the team have done a great job bringing them to (terrifying) life."

Walker: "For me, I'd have to say any of the Nurgle faction. They're associated with disease and decay, so it was a lot of fun making particularly disgusting wet SFX for their units. I had a lot of fun with the Poxwalkers especially. They're lumbering zombie-like enemies, with mutations, boils, and gaping wounds, who can reanimate if not overkilled, and I tried to incorporate all of that when creating their SFX."

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II releases for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.