Dark Messiah's new edition adds co-op, cut content and console-exclusive maps to the 20-year-old orc-kicking extravaganza, and it's coming to Steam this year

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic: Community Edition must be what modders dream about—a big, impactful, community-driven project that enhances a beloved game, with full support from its publisher. It's effectively an official upgrade for the orc-kicking immersive sim, released for free. And it's heading to Steam.

The list of improvements is impressive, and includes:

• Linux and 64-bit support
• Restored content
• Console-exclusive maps and modes
• Co-op
• New Game+
• Adventure mode, with bonus levels and challenges
• New spells, weapons and abilities like sliding
• Randomly-generated levels
• Steam Workshop support

WiltOS Technologies ported Dark Messiah over to the latest Source engine and worked with the community and other modders to integrate existing mods and fan requests, culminating in this new version. And publisher Ubisoft has apparently been a great help.

"Ubisoft is actually supporting this project directly," the developer noted on the Steam forum. "This would not be possible without them." Indeed, Ubisoft invited them to visit Ubisoft Montreal, where they were able to get the console-exclusive features working on the PC version.

The new edition was announced back in March, but the arrival of the Steam page makes it feel a lot more imminent. It's due in 2026, and there's not much year left, so expect to see it soon. I don't really need an excuse to replay this classic, but this is a good one all the same.

And the launch of the new edition won't be the end.

"We love this game," wiltOS Technologies says on the store page. "We wouldn't be able to bring you the Community Edition if it wasn't for the love and support that we received from the community, so for the first time in the game's history we are inviting the community to develop it alongside us. While we do plan on remaining active in our creation process and communications, even developing new modes and features for people to enjoy, almost every aspect of Dark Messiah: Community Edition has been made to make sure the community who loves this game just as much as we do has the tools to make it theirs."

Instead of being framed as a definitive mod, it's aiming to be a new foundation for a new era of mods, and hopefully it will make the community even more vibrant.