Slitherine Takes Over Blood Bowl Publishing Rights (2026)

Blood Bowl isn’t going anywhere—at least, not in video game form. Slitherine, the publisher behind Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, has picked up the licence and publishing rights for the Warhammer fantasy football series, taking over the backlog from Nacon after that company ran into serious trouble. Even better for fans, Slitherine says it will continue with the next Blood Bowl game that was already in motion under Nacon’s plans, and it will collaborate with long-running series developer Cyanide Studio to bring it out.

Key takeaways

Slitherine acquired the Blood Bowl licence, publishing rights, and Nacon’s back catalogue.
The next Warhammer Blood Bowl project previously announced by Nacon is still moving forward.
Cyanide Studio will return to develop the upcoming entry.
Nacon filed for insolvency in February after its majority owner, Bigben Interactive, missed a loan repayment.
Blood Bowl 3 received “mixed” Steam user reactions and earned a 5/10 review score at launch.
Slitherine plans to reveal more at the Slitherine Next Event on July 22.

Nacon’s insolvency and the fate of its projects

In February, Nacon—publisher and developer—entered insolvency proceedings, which immediately put several games’ futures under a cloud. Titles specifically mentioned in that concern included GreedFall 2, Hell is Us, RoboCop, and Test Drive Unlimited.

At the time of the filing, Nacon said it had been pushed into the decision because its majority shareholder, Bigben Interactive, did not complete a loan repayment. Nacon was also operating with 16 development studios, along with an in-house publishing division.

Blood Bowl 3 reception and why this handoff matters

Meanwhile, Blood Bowl 3 has been sitting in a “mixed” state with Steam players, and that response fits the general feeling that the 2023 launch didn’t fully land with long-time fans. One review scored the game 5/10, describing it as a sloppy, messy, bug-prone rework of what was already a better experience.

If you’re hoping for improvements, the move to Slitherine is at least a promising sign—especially given Slitherine’s track record with Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector. The expectation is that some of that effort and know-how can carry over into the next Blood Bowl release.

Slitherine and Cyanide on continuing the series

Slitherine shared its official stance on the franchise, framing Blood Bowl as both “iconic” and “distinctive” within videogame strategy. Marco Minoli, Director of Publishing at Slitherine, said the company is genuinely honoured to help shape the series’ future alongside Cyanide and Warhammer.

Minoli also added that Slitherine has deep respect for the work Cyanide has built over the years. The publisher says it’s excited to keep working closely with the studio, with the goal of supporting and growing the franchise together with its dedicated community.

Slitherine further confirmed it intends to keep investing in the Blood Bowl video game line, with an emphasis on community input, longer-term development plans, and sustained player engagement.

On Cyanide’s side, Patrick Pligersdorffer, CEO of Cyanide, said the studio is delighted to team up with Slitherine to secure the future of the Blood Bowl video games. He also stated that Slitherine has demonstrated expertise publishing strategy games of a high standard, calling it a “perfect match”.