After laying dormant for just shy of a decade, Relic Entertainment has finally resurrected Company of Heroes, a real-time strategy series that dates way back to 2006. In spite of the developer’s time and effort mostly being poured into the likes of Age of Empires, the third entry to the war-themed RTS has, at long last, been thrown into gear, which means fans of the franchise can expect new waves of full-frontal combat and monopolization.
So, what do we actually know about Company of Heroes 3, besides the fact that it’s being developed by Relic? Well, here’s everything we’ve been able to gather on it to date, including its release window, platforms, trailers, and gameplay.
What Is Company of Heroes 3?
Company of Heroes 3 is an upcoming real-time strategy game by Relic Entertainment, a firm known for its lineage of highly successful RTS series including Homeworld, Warhammer 40K, and Age of Empires. The third instalment, which comes just shy of ten years after the second, will look to improve on a number of gameplay elements by way of incorporating new features such as the Tactical Pause option, a sub-menu that lets players plan and execute strategies mid-battle while away from the match.
“Launching with four factions, Company of Heroes 3 will offer twice as many armies at launch as any past game in the franchise,” the official description boasts. “Limitless play awaits.”
Story
According to Relic Entertainment, Company of Heroes 3 will be based around Italy, and North Africa. To this end, players can expect to immerse in two full-fledged campaigns, both of which will equally ration out action-packed RTS gameplay and all-out cinematics. It’s also believed that the North African portion, unlike some of the series’ past instalments, will feature more of a linear story.
“The North African operation is a linear story,” senior mission designer David Milne told PC Gamer. “So the players are going to go through and play each mission one after the other and experience that whole story start to finish as we tell it to them.”
Of course, as with any RTS game that prioritizes gameplay over narrative, Company of Heroes 3 will not be story-driven game, per se, but more or less a collection of riveting battles that will take you across a multitude of battlefields and landmarks. This isn’t to say that it will be without a story, though. But from what we’ve seen, it won’t be anything overly
Gameplay
Company of Heroes 3 follows a turn-based structure. In a classic RTS fashion, players can expect to embark on a series of quests that span a number of battlefields and biomes. In campaigns, specifically, you will have the freedom to complete said objectives in any way you see fit, and will have the power to divide and conquer the Italian and North African boroughs based on your own personal strategy.
As mentioned before, a new feature that will be coming bundled in with the latest instalment is the Tactical Pause menu, which allows you to devise and execute step-by-step plans while away from the action. As well as this, you can expect to see relationships with your allied commanders make an impact on the overall outcome of your story. Throw in the major graphics overhaul and better destruction system, and you’ve essentially got yourself a bigger, better, and far more immersive theatre of war at your disposal.
Development
In case you missed it, Company of Heroes 3 is being developed by Relic Entertainment, an industry veteran that has countless years of hands-on experience with RTS games under its belt, many of which have gone on to span multiple generations, spin-offs, and expansions. Company of Heroes, although one of its lesser known franchises compared to the likes of Age of Empires is still, to this day, considered to be one of the most successful IPs in the strategy-based genre.
In the preliminary stages of development, Relic Entertainment made the decision to focus on an Italian locale, claiming that it would give players a “broader palette for environmental gameplay.” As well as this, the studio suggested that the Mediterranean would make a good setting for the sake of offering verticality on its maps, and would also reinforce a lot of its previous games’ core mechanics as a result.
Trailer
Company of Heroes 3 // Official Announce Trailer
Relic Entertainment first brought the long-awaited sequel to light back in July 2021, at which point the team lifted the veil on an exclusive four-minute trailer. Since then, both Relic and Sega have revealed a cinematic trailer to showcase its latest features, and a further trailer to promote its console edition, which will be coming out in the months following its initial PC release. You can see the early announcement trailer in the embedded video above.
Release Date, Platforms & Editions
Company of Heroes 3 will be coming to PC via Steam on February 23, 2022. According to Relic Entertainment, the game will also be coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 at some stage in 2023. At the time of writing, there has been no word on the game coming to Nintendo Switch, let alone Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus, for that matter. This is, however, subject to change in the aftermath of its February launch.
As far as editions go, Company of Heroes 3 will only launch with two: the bog-standard PC edition, and the console edition, which will of course be coming to Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 on an undisclosed date in 2023.
For more information on Company of Heroes 3, be sure to check out the official social handle here. We’ll be sure to let you know of any details should they come to light between now and February 23rd.
So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Company of Heroes 3 when it becomes available? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.
Jord is acting Team Leader at gaming.net. If he isn't blabbering on in his daily listicles, then he's probably out writing fantasy novels or scraping Game Pass of all its slept on indies.
