THQ embarks on digital distribution
DOWII plus extras leads the charge.
THQ will be moving into digital distribution of its games with the launch of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II on 20th February.
Fans can pre-order and download the RTS now for EUR 49.99 (GBP 43.90). An activation key will be sent just after midnight on the day of release.
To entice users away from Steam, where play begins a day earlier, THQ will offer exclusive in-game goodies.
The Artificer Wargear Set tops this list, and contains a Blood Ravens battle standard, a Scourge of Xenos heavy bolter, a Purifier of Tombs plasma gun, a Snarl of Wolf 'chainsword' and an Honoured Silencer sniper rifle.
There's a bonus Legis High Stratum multiplayer map, too, plus an exclusive Marauder chapter to order about. Rounding this off are four extra metallic paint colours: Platinum, Golden Purple, Metallic Red and Scaly Green.
The download technology is provided by digital distribution firm Metaboli, so everything should run smoothly. A spokesperson for the publisher told Eurogamer that Dawn of War II will be the first of many titles THQ will release this way.
Head over to our Dawn of War II gamepage for our extensive coverage to date, and expect a review soon.