Since 2004, Warhammer 40K fans have been treated to a number of excellent RTS games from Relic Entertainment and THQ. Fans of the fantasy oriented Warhammer have been left without, however, as the only notable title produced has been a MMO from EA. Now the Warhammer license is in the hands of arguably the best RTS developer around – Creative Assembly.

Sega and Creative Assembly announced today that it has entered a multi-title licensing deal with Games Workshop for its Warhammer fantasy license. Creative Assembly, known for its ambitious and critically lauded Total War franchise, has set up a new team at its development HQ to focus on making a Warhammer game that will most assuredly be an RTS.

“With this year being our 25th anniversary,” said Tim Heaton, Studio Director at Creative Assembly, “it seems fitting for us to embark on such a dream project with such a well-established partner. The incredibly rich and detailed Warhammer world is something we grew up with, and has left an indelible imprint on us as both designers and gamers. We’ll be doing the Warhammer universe justice in a way that has never been attempted before. We’re bringing those 25 years of experience and expertise in extremely high-scoring games to bear, delivering a Warhammer experience that videogamers will absolutely love.”

Beyond the announcement of the licensing agreement, the only other thing we know is that the game will be out after 2013. Creative Assembly is currently working on Total War: Rome 2, which is set for release in late 2013. The developer is also working on an unnamed title set in the Alien universe. It’s going to be a while before we start seeing Warhammer games from the studio, but like any other Creative Assembly game, it will be undoubtedly be worth the wait.