As we reported last month, THQ President and CEO Brian Farrell said fans of the upcoming Warhammer 40k MMO can expect an official unveiling at this year's E3 on June 15. In a recent interview with IGN, Farrell offered a bit of insight about the upcoming MMO's target audience, in addition to an interesting statement regarding its potential revenue model.

When asked about Warhammer 40k's chance for success in a market dominated by MMOs like World of Warcraft, Farrell said that THQ is confident Warhammer 40k will stand on its own, noting the IP's established fan base. "On the PC alone, the Warhammer 40K series has sold over five million units, so there's an audience there that likes that universe," he told IGN. "We think there's always competition in every market, but you got to have an x-factor, a point of differentiation, and we think we've got that."

Farrell also pointed out the stark differences between the sword-and-sorcery genre of WoW and the gothic sci-fi themes in Warhammer 40k. "World of Warcraft is a great game, but as you know in entertainment, there's always the juggernaut and that means there's opportunities out there for the right MMO," Farrell said in the interview. "What we love about the Warhammer 40K MMO is that it's different in that it's a sci-fi, futuristic-based world. We're not competing directly in the orcs and elves fantasy environment that World of Warcraft is in. We can differentiate ourselves."

Finally, Farrell hinted at a unique, region-dependent revenue model that THQ might be adopting for Warhammer 40k. He told IGN that THQ is developing the MMO with a "flexible business model in mind." Farrell said the traditional, subscription-based revenue model "still works" throughout North America and Europe, although it's a harder sell in the Asian markets. He told IGN that THQ is developing Warhammer 40k in a way that lends itself to several pricing models, including "time-based sessions or microtransactions" for the Asian market.

The upcoming Warhammer 40k MMO is based on the Games Workshop tabletop miniature game of the same name. THQ published a real-time strategy PC video game version, Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War, in 2004. Virgil Games is developing the Warhammer 40k MMO, which takes place thousands of years after the events of the Warhammer Fantasy series. In January, we awarded Warhammer 40k an honorable mention in the 2009 ZAM Awards for "Most Anticipated Established IP."

Taverncraft has just announced that they have partnered with Mythic Entertainment to bring genuine hand-crafted fine-grain stoneware steins in the theme of Mythic's Warhammer Online to fans in May 2010. These steins are specifically designed for the two factions in Warhammer Online, with the Order of the Griffon (Order) and the Raven Host (Destruction) collection steins, which feature exclusive artowkr by Michael Phillippi and Eric Polak, respectively.

These steins will cost fans $99.99 for a single stein from either limited edition collection, or for $179.99, you can get both. As well, the steins come with exclusive in-game items for Warhammer Online players in the form of in-game Ale Steins! Should you drink from these steins while playing, they grant a +15% bonus to experience, renown and influence for 120 minutes (for both Order and Destruction).

Taverncraft is also offering even more unique "Legendary" steins for both the "Order of the Griffon" and "The Raven Host," but these steins will be limited to 500 total worldwide, and they will be signed by Michael Phillippi or Eric Polak, depending on which stein you purchased. These legendary steins also come with in-game Warhammer Online items.

You can check out Taverncraft's great deals on their website!

Today marks the launch of the first Weekend Warfront in Warhammer Online. The Scurvy Dogs event is scheduled to end on Monday, March 1. here are the details from the WAR Herald:

"Shiver me timbers and call me matey, prepare to set sail on the high seas of bonus renown and experience for participating in the all new 6v6 Scenario, The Ironclad! Also, you may notice that you're pillaging more booty when participating in the Weekend Warfront in the form of increased RvR weapon currency. So get out there are keel haul those Scurvy Dogs and let your enemies know that you are, without a doubt, on a boat!"

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is still seven months away, but it looks like you can use some popular pirate phrases during this Weekend Warfront. YAAARRRRRR!

As we reported, Warhammer Online patch 1.3.4 went live this week and introduced a new scenario structure and scenario currency to the game. Well, it looks like there's already a glitch that's making it difficult for players to receive renown and currency rewards while participating in a scenario. Mythic is currently working on a fix, but until it's implemented you can enjoy a 30% renown and experience buff on all servers.

Mythic doesn't have an estimated time for the fix, so take advantage of the 30% buff while you can. The team will update the WAR Herald when the bug is squashed.

Patch 1.3.4 is now live in Warhammer Online, and it brings with it the much-discussed new scenario structure, scenario currency and Tier 4 campaign changes. You can check out the patch notes for all the details.

In honor of the occasion, new Franchise Producer Carrie Gouskos has written a lengthy letter that gives some insight into the development process and what we can expect to see in versions 1.3.5 and 1.3.6. Gouskos says that the team plans to squash more bugs, keep game play fresh with maximized content, and make targeted big changes to the game where it's needed.

As far as 1.3.5 is concerned, Gouskos says Mythic is adding new options to increase your inventory space and shift the focus of the city experience from PvE to RvR. The team plans to improve the auction house in 1.3.6 and will make a decision, one way or another, on the armor set redesign. You can read the long letter after the jump.

Development Manager Mike Wyatt published a developer's diary entry today that explains the reasoning behind the upcoming scenario changes in Warhammer Online. A lot of Scenarios were removed from the queues to ensure that the remaining ones "are worth the same amount of time and effort." Also, maintaining fewer scenarios allows Mythic to better focus on balancing and other issues.

The scenarios that have been removed will return in the form of Weekend Warfronts. You can read all the details in the diary entry after the jump.

Items Lead Sean Bosshardt has written a developer's diary entry that introduces players to the RvR weapons that will be implemented in the upcoming 1.3.4 patch. He explains that players will be able to pruchase weapons with two types of new currency: Emblems and Insignias. Here's some details on the weapons:

"These weapons span all 4 tiers, going all the way up to endgame weapons that rival the power of any weapon currently available. In further patches, expect to see both the Emblem/Insignia stores and the Medallion/Crest stores expand, offering exciting new wares that are found nowhere else."

Bosshardt says the team decided to go with a progression system for the purchase of the weapons in order to keep individual item costs low. You can read more about the weapons after the jump.

Mythic recently made a few announcements that are sure to be of interest to Warhammer Online players. Community Coordinator Andy Belford kicked things off over the weekend by revealing the revised 1.3.4 scenario structure. You can read all the details after the jump.

Whether you like the new structure or not, most players will be happy to hear that the Night of Murder live event has been extended until the morning of Feb. 23. Mythic decided this was necessary "due to various issues encountered by players."

Lastly, the next Mass Playtest Event will be held on the Warpstone Public Test Server on Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. EST. Players will get the chance to review the new 1.3.4 scenario structure and RvR earned weapons.

While most MMOs are celebrating Valentine's Day with events full of hearts and cute rewards, Mythic prefers to focus on the darker side of things in Warhammer Online. The Night of Murder live event kicked off today and lets players perform some terrible deeds in the name of the Elf god Kaela Mensha Khaine.

Keep an eye out for players and NPCs that have been marked for death and kill them to earn event influence. The "Well-Mounted Skull" reward will let you mount the heads of your ememies on pikes for all to see! That's a bit more brutal than spraying perfume on players and eating in-game chocolate.

You can read more about the Night of Murder live event after the jump. It ends Feb. 16.

According to Computer and Videogames, THQ President and CEO Brian Farrell confirmed during a call to investors last night that the Warhammer 40K MMO will be unveiled at E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 15-17, so it looks like we only need to wait four more months to get some details on this highly anticipated game.

Farrell also gave an estimate on the lifespan of the Warhammer 40K MMO:

"As you know, one of the big wins there is when you are successful with those properties, you have a long life on both revenues and cash flow, that's not just one year or two years it can go, five, six, seven years. So that's probably the biggest opportunity."

We hope Warhammer 40K has what it takes to hit the seven-year mark, but we'll have to wait until E3 to see what the game has to offer for fans. Are you looking forward to the MMO?