Vigil Games released a new Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online trailer and screenshots from GamesCom this week, announcing "The Imperium of Man," the MMO's first playable race

After a brief lull since Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online was officially unveiled at E3 earlier this summer, developer Vigil Games brings us a new video trailer showcasing the MMO's first playable race, The Imperium of Man. This news shouldn't come as a surprise to the hardcore War40K fan community; the Imperium is a defining faction of the original Warhammer 40K tabletop game. In the new trailer, Vigil Games introduces the Imperium as the first "playable race," however, indicating that it will be one of several races included in the MMO's two factions (in a recent interview, Vigil Games executive producer Tim Campbell confirmed there will be "two overall factions in the game, and all of the playable races are going to fit into one or the other").

The video reveals that the Imperium of Man have returned to the Sargos Sector; the narrative and in-game footage highlight the Imperial Guard, Tech Priests of Adeptus Mechanicus and Space Marines (Angels of Death), which appear to be at least three confirmed character classes. Some of the video is recycled from the original announcement trailer from E3, although we do see a substantial amount of new material and gameplay footage. Titans and Dreadnoughts make another appearance, as well as several vehicles like Thunderhawks and Predators. The video includes a few quick-cuts of unconfirmed classes, which some speculate to be Inquisitors or Psykers, for example. In addition to the new trailer, Vigil Games released four new screenshots at GamesCom. Check out the full video and screenshots after the jump, and visit ZAM's Warhammer 40K: DMO portal site for more news and information.

[Note: Click the screenshots below to view the high-res versions.]