Do you have a boxed copy of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War from back in the day that you wish you could play again on Steam, but don't feel like forking over the 13 bucks it costs to buy now? That is admittedly a very narrow slice of the gaming public, but if it happens to include you then I bring good news: Sega is now offering free Steam keys for owners of the original retail release, "so you can continue to enjoy Dawn of War without having to pay again."
The original Dawn of War RTS came out in 2004, so it's obviously pretty dated at this point. But it was very good at the time, and the nice thing about RTS games is that generally speaking, they don't rely on super-swanky eye candy for success, and so tend to age more gracefully than some other genres.
To get your free key, just head over to the Sega support site and fill in the requisite blanks. It's not unlike the process for getting the free upgrade to the recent remasterings of BioShock, and as with that, you might have to prove that you are in fact a duly entitled owner of the game. "Please note that Sega may need to verify your boxed copies and this may involve them requesting photos of your box or other information," the Dawn of War forum post says. "We thank you for your patience and hope to get you back in the WAAAGH as soon as possible!"
Sega and developer Relic Entertainment are currently working on the latest addition to the series, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3. Catch up with that right here.
