The main plans of the company have been divided into three distinct points: continuing support for existing titles, development and publishing indie games, and re-imagining classics. While the exact details haven’t been revealed yet, this includes supporting games like Company of Heroes 3, making smaller games in-house, experimenting with various concepts, and bringing older titles to a modern generation of players.

“Drawing upon its rich catalog of beloved games, Relic will explore opportunities to bring these classic titles to modern audiences,” wrote the studio in its plans for re-imagining its classics. “This may include re-releases, remasters, or brand-new franchise experiences that capture the spirit of the originals while appealing to a new generation of players.”

CEO Justin Dowdeswell also said in the press release announcing these plans that it is a new chapter for Relic Entertainment with its embrace of independence. Dowdeswell also said that the studio wants to continue developing new titles.

“Relic Entertainment has always been a studio defined by its resilience and passion for creating unforgettable gaming experiences,” said Dowdeswell in the press release.

“This new chapter marks a significant milestone for us. By embracing independence and focusing on our core strengths, we are confident in our ability to deliver innovative, high-quality games that will resonate with players around the world. The future of Relic Entertainment is bright, and we are excited to embark on this new journey.”

The Vancouver, Canada-based studio had split from Sega back in March 2024 after having worked with the publisher since it was acquired in 2013. The studio has previously worked on a wide range of real-time strategy games, from classics like the original Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes, to more recent releases like Company of Heroes 3 and Age of Empires 4.

Shortly after going independent from Sega, Relic Entertainment suffered from lay offs affecting 41 of its employees. The studio said that the decision was to try and give itself “the best possible chance to survive in an increasingly volatile industry.”

Over on LinkedIn, Relic Entertainment has announced that it is laying off a number of its employees following its split from Sega. The developer says it made the decision to give itself “the best possible chance to survive in an increasingly volatile industry.”

“Following last week’s announcement of Relic becoming an independent studio, today we have some difficult news,” the studio wrote. “Earlier today we shared details with Relicans about a layoff. Letting people go was not an easy decision, and was made solely with the goal of providing Relic the best possible chance to survive in an increasingly volatile industry. It does not in any way reflect the expertise, passion, or character of any of the impacted employees.

“We are working closely with those affected providing severance packages, extended benefits, and outplacement support options.”

Relic’s own statement did not provide details on the scale of the layoffs, but a LinkedIn post by Robyn Smale – external development producer at the studio – revealed that 41 people had lost their jobs.

“I am absolutely gutted that we are here again with more layoffs at Relic Entertainment,” Smale wrote. “We have lost a number of amazing people – 41. It’s been a bumpy road lately, so to most, this is no surprise. But still a shame, none the less. To my colleagues and friends, I am so sorry this is happening to you. These situations really suck and my heart breaks to see so many of us get separated.”

Relic Entertainment’s most recent release was Company of Heroes 3, another in a long line of acclaimed real-time strategy games developed by the studio. Other than the Company of Heroes series, Relic has also developed Age of Empires 4, Homeworld 1 and 2, the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series, and more.

The PC update, titled Umbral Wasp, is slated for release in October. The update will bring with it improved animation responsiveness for units, as well as improvements to unit pathfinding. There will also be a new 4v4 map, as well as a reprise of a 1v1 map, along with other balancing and general gameplay improvements. The PC version will get another update later this year bringing with it fan-requested features like a replay system.

The update planned for Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition is titled Brass Leopard, and will bring with it a new map, audio updates, and general gameplay improvements when it hits consoles in September.

The studio has also revealed that it is working on a major expansion for Company of Heroes 3 with plans to release it later this year.

Announced back in December 2022, the console version of Company of Heroes 3 comes with special features specifically designed to help players make the best of the game’s real-time strategy gameplay and tactical options on a controller.

The new control scheme hopes to make the transition from the genre’s traditional mouse and keyboard control system to controllers through a new Command Wheel, which will allow players to quickly issue commands to their units. Players can also make use of the Full Tactical Pause feature in single-player modes to freeze the game and take their time in observing the battlefield to react to what’s happening.

These controller-centric features were shown off in a trailer released back in April, giving us a good look at how Company of Heroes 3 is making the jump to consoles. The console release also comes with other core features of the original release, including two campaigns, four playable factions, a dynamic campaign map, and co-op campaigns.

The biggest new feature in Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition is the addition of gamepad-centric controls. The new control scheme makes use of radial menus to provide context-sensitive actions that players can use.

The console release of Company of Heroes 3 also features the new tactical pause option, which allows players to completely pause the game and give their units and buildings various commands before resuming, allowing them to take a look at the action at a slower pace.

Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition also features other core features of the base game, including its two campaigns, four unique playable factions, a dynamic campaign map, and co-op campaigns.

Company of Heroes 3: Console Edition was announced earlier this month. It will be coming to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on May 30.

Company of Heroes 3 will be the first title in the franchise to make its way to consoles. The studio has revealed that the console releases will feature a custom UI, full support for controllers, and special features that will allow players to set the pace of the game according to their liking.

Controller players will be able to make use of features like Full Tactical Pause, which allows players to pause the game to survey the battlefield and issue commands to their units.

Company of Heroes 3 was originally released on PC back in February. It features four playable factions, a host of game modes for fans of single-player campaigns, and a host of multiplayer options, ranging from co-op to competitive.

Spending on video game content hit $3.9 billion, a one percent increase over the same period last year. Several new titles debuted in the charts, like WILD HEARTS in eighth place, Like a Dragon: Ishin! in ninth and Octopath Traveler 2 in tenth.

Factoring in non-top ten titles, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe debuted in 15th place, Company of Heroes 3 in 16th, and Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line came in at 20th. It’s also worth noting The Last of Us Part 1, which rose from 11th place to sixth place, likely due to the popularity of the HBO series. Even The Last of Us Part 2 benefitted, going from 41st place in January to 18th in February.

February 2023 Top 20 Best-Sellers (Dollar Sales, Excludes DLC/MTX) pic.twitter.com/IopOK1rfQf

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

2023 YTD Top 20 Best-Sellers (Dollar Sales, Excludes DLC/MTX) pic.twitter.com/o1MOYDFgpV

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game of both February 2023 as well as 2023 year-to-date. Hogwarts Legacy also ranked 1st in February sales across each of the PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam platforms.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

Spending on video game content increased 1% in February when compared to a year ago, to $3.9 billion. Growth in digital content across Console and PC platforms, as well as non-mobile subscription spending, offset a decline in mobile.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

Seven of the top twenty best-selling games of February were new releases, with Wild Hearts (#8), Like a Dragon: Ishin! (#9) and Octopath Traveler II (#10) also ranking among the top 10 best-selling titles during February.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

The Last of Us: Part I rose 5 spots on the February chart, placing 6th after ranking 11th in January. The Last of Us: Part II returned to the top twenty in February, finishing 18th overall following a #41 placement in January.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) March 29, 2023

The biggest core feature of Operation Sapphire Jackal is the addition of weekly and daily challenges for players to complete. The update also brings in-game cosmetics to the game.

The new challenges added to the game can be completed through either solo multiplayer matches or in co-op. The challenges aren’t particularly complicated; for example, players will be tasked with destroying 50 vehicles with anti-tank guns, or getting a certain number of veteran ranks for specific infantry.

The new cosmetics added to the game are a blend of free and premium, the latter of which can also be purchased using real money. The free cosmetics can be earned by players in the course of normal play. With cosmetics, players can customise the look of their various units for single-player and multiplayer battles.

Company of Heroes 3 is available on PC, and will also be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S later this year.

While far from the first playtest Company of Heroes 3 is getting, this will likely be the final one before the game hits store shelves, and will likely be the closest to the final game in terms of aspects like game balance and unit stats. It is worth noting that this playtest will not feature any gameplay from the single-player campaign. Rather, the playtest is strictly focused on the multiplayer aspect of Company of Heroes 3.

While Company of Heroes 3 is launching on PC on February 23, the game is also slated to get released on consoles. The studio has stated that a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version of the game will be getting released some time after the release of the PC version. The console release will also feature support for 4K, and will have a revamped control scheme to make the transition of playing on keyboard and mouse to controllers smoother.

In an FAQ, developer Relic Entertainment said that the PC and console versions will be “nearly identical,” aside from minor changes. This includes adapting the heads-up display for the controller. “We’ve been working hard internally at Relic and in conjunction with our partner studios at SEGA to ensure Company of Heroes 3 controls intuitively and responsively with a controller.

“We’ve also modified the HUD and UI to ensure navigating with a controller is easy and feels good. You can see this in action in our announcement gameplay video. It was also important to us to ensure that any changes to make Company of Heroes 3 feel good on console would not adversely affect how you play or control the game on the PC edition.” Those who want to use a mouse and keyboard on consoles can do so.

There are no plans for cross-platform play or cross-progression, unfortunately. The console edition also won’t have an in-game store, Challenges or modding support. Furthermore, post-launch content, cosmetics and gameplay additions will come to consoles after they arrive on PC.  Relic also plans “to bundle standout content into more robust expansions for Console Edition owners.”

After assuring that the console versions weren’t responsible for the PC edition’s delay (with a “trusted development partner” working on the former), the developer confirmed that Company of Heroes 3 would support 4K on consoles. There aren’t any plans to release it for on-demand services though. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.