THQ deploying Space Marine in August

The somewhat vague and foreboding "grim darkness of the future" got a bit more specific today, as THQ nailed down an August release window for its upcoming third-person action game Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. Previously, the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC game had been set for a general summer launch.

The game casts players as Captain Titus of the Ultramarine chapter of the Space Marines, one of humanity's last hopes in an intergalactic war against the sinister Orks. Players are charged with defending an Imperial Forge World from the Orkish invasion, a task made more complicated when the forces of Chaos make their presence known.

While the Warhammer 40,000 universe has featured in multiple PC titles, Space Marine marks the franchise's first outing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. THQ has a crew of developers well acquainted with the universe handling the game, as Space Marine is being created by the publisher's in-house studio Relic Entertainment, whose previous works include Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II and Company of Heroes.

For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.