Future Creative Assembly games may "require blood thematically", which sure sounds like a Total War: Warhammer 40,000 teaser

rockpapershotgun.com:

Over the Christmas break, I took a brief hiatus from reporting on every time a Total War developer breathes or spills tea on their shirt. The year ended, the world did not, and no Thanquol DLC was announced, but I did miss what I reckon is the strongest hint they’ve yet freely given that strategy game Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is both real and due an announcement very soon. Here’s the skinny.

(I want to use the phrase "here’s the skinny" more. I also want one of those little hats with the band for the card that says ‘press’ on it. These aren’t the same as ‘pressman’s hats’, which were made out of folded newspaper to protect print workers from detritus. Here’s some instructions on how to make one. I wonder what the online media equivalent is? Tinfoil lined with redundancy letters, probably. Speaking of tinfoil…)

If a future Total War game, thematically, requires blood then we will include it within the base game without the need for a separate purchase. This might mean an increase in our age ratings for future titles and how we potentially market our games, but we want the franchise to be as thrilling, immersive and authentic as possible.

For context, Total War games have long shipped without blood effects, dismemberment, and other such violences, instead selling optional DLC ‘blood packs’ for a few pounds or dollars. The company line on this has always been that it’s to ensure a lower age rating, although much of the community has maintained it’s a case of squeezing out some extra revenue. Personally, I’ve always been torn. Extra animation work is naturally development work, but the line between what development work counts as ‘extra’ enough to merit charging separately seems mainly a matter of good faith: a case of ‘we’ll know where the line is when someone crosses it’.

Anyway, the blog statement feels to me about as close as you can get to saying “We’re making 40k” without actually saying it, although I understand how that might sound spurious if you don’t