Posts tagged Relic
New mode Theatre of War announced for Company of Heroes 2
May 2nd
Relic Entertainment today unveiled the scoop on new Company of Heroes 2 mode ‘Theatre of War.’ Previously alluded to when Relic announced the game’s pre-order bonuses, the mode includes a series of both single-player and co-operative challenges that place the player(s) in overwhelming odds.
Focusing on key battles in 1941, each challenge will include a unique enemy commander, all of which have a unique playing style too. Both German and Soviet forces are playable, with nine missions available for each faction. There’s the potential for more missions to be added at a later date, and Quinn Duffy, the game’s director, described the mode as “a perfect bridge between the game’s single and multiplayer content providing a high level of re-playability and helping to introduce traditionally solo players to the online elements of the game.”
Recently under new management, Relic have the game’s release set for June.
[Source: Sega Blog]
Relic: A new Dawn of War “a strong possibility”
Apr 23rd
Ever since Sega’s acquisition of the Warhammer license a few months back, it’s been a bit of a challenge to nail down the scope of their control over the IP’s many franchises. Non-Sega games seem to be popping up elsewhere, and a permanent home for the Warhammer 40k leg of the universe still seemed very much in question.
It appears that question has been answered, as Relic game director Quinn Duffy revealed in a discussion with Eurogamer that at least one major 40k title, Dawn of War, still rests in the hands of Games Workshop. Still, Duffy is confident that a Relic-developed sequel is not out of the question:
“Because it’s a license and it’s owned by Games Workshop, they have the opportunity to work that license with whoever they want. I would hope it would be us again. We had a great working relationship with Games Workshop. Sega is establishing one now with the fantasy license for Creative Assembly. There’s a strong possibility we’ll all be working together again on Dawn of War.”
While Sega’s role in said hypothetical partnership isn’t particularly clear, it can be assumed that they would at least be involved, as Relic now resides under their umbrella. Creative Assembly may be whittling away at Warhammer’s next big thing, but picking up Relic shortly after acquiring the broader license itself is no small coincidence.
[Source: Polygon]
Company of Heroes 2 preorder bonuses revealed
Apr 7th
Company of Heroes 2‘s release is just a few short months away, so of course it’s time to unveil the obligatory preorder incentives.
Players who reserve their copy ahead of time will get the single-player “Theatre of War” mini-campaign, which is also set for independent release sometime in the future. Multiplayer fans will also be getting the Winter Ambush and Voronezh vehicle skin packs, as well as special multiplayer commanders for each army. The German Army gets the Joint Operations Doctrine (artillery) and Offensive Spearhead Doctrine (heavy armor and airstrikes), while on the other side Soviets get the Anti-Infantry Tactics Doctrine (including a flamethrower tank) and the Conscript Support Tactics (reinforcements).
A free mini campaign, exclusive skins, and a handful of extra multiplayer perks? Not a bad deal considering how scant a lot of preorder content tends to be. Anybody planning on plunking down a fiver to try out some of these extras?
[Source: Gamespot]
Sega might not have the Warhammer 40K license after all
Mar 17th
Ever since Sega’s acquisition of the general Warhammer license a few months back, all signs have been pointing to a much broader IP grab, leading many of us to believe that Sega could indeed have the entire name of Warhammer under their belt. But despite owning Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine and Dawn of War developer Relic, their ownership may not be as broad as we thought.
Last week Games Workshop announced that Slitherine, a developer known for making historical strategy games for PC and iPad, will be working on a new game in the 40K universe. Members of the studio are understandably excited to work with the strategy behemoth, with Slitherine head honcho JD McNeil promising that “joining forces with Games Workshop will allow [Slitherine] to bring a wonderfully deep and appropriate IP to the turn-based strategy genre.”
This may not mean that Sega is totally out of the 40K picture, but it certainly doesn’t look promising. The publisher has been conspicuously tight-lipped about anything but Company of Heroes 2 and the broader Warhammer property, so I wouldn’t be too surprised if 40K wasn’t all that high on their list of priorities. So much for that Space Marine sequel…
[Source: Eurogamer]
Company of Heroes 2 to be released in June
Mar 7th
Though originally dated for May, Sega have announced they will publish the second instalment of their newly purchased IP on June 25th. Released seven years after the original, the year is 1941 and control will be over soviet forces, with the developers promising new features such as dynamic weather and destructible environments.
Sega purchased Relic for a whopping $26.6 million with the intent of bolstering their PC strength, bringing with the studio not only Company of Heroes but nearly all of the Warhammer licenses too.
Relic only recently celebrated their acquisition with an open letter to the community, describing the team as “stoked” to be part of the Sega family, promising a beta for Company of Heroes 2 soon.
[Source: Wired]
Relic Producer posts letter to the community
Mar 4th
Relic’s Producer for Company of Heroes 2, Greg Wilson, posted a letter to the community last week about the status of Relic Entertainment and Company of Heroes 2 after the company’s purchase by Sega. He claims that Relic is “stoked” to be working with Sega and they are still on track to producing a high quality release with Company of Heroes 2. He goes on to say that details on a closed beta build will be released soon.
“Looking to our own future, I must admit that the studio as a whole is incredibly stoked to be working alongside a publisher with a heritage as strong as SEGA’s. Shortly after the acquisition was announced, work on integrating the entire Relic team began. It’s been a rapid transition period and I’m happy to say we’re a pretty much fully functioning member of the SEGA family now and remain fully focused on shipping the highest quality version of Company of Heroes 2 you have all been waiting for.”
Sounds like Company of Heroes fans will have little to worry about with Sega’s purchase of Relic. I’ve never played any of their games but I know they’ve received a lot of critical acclaim. Anyone a fan of some of Relic’s past releases or are you looking to try a few out now that Sega owns the developer?
Sega now owns entire Warhammer universe licenses
Feb 9th
It’s no secret that Sega has been eyeing up the Warhammer franchise for a while but finally this ongoing story has concluded with Sega’s recent purchase of nearly every Warhammer spin-off license. In the Asset Purchase Agreement with THQ it was revealed that along with Relic’s Warhammer titles they have also invested in the science fiction spin-off Warhammer 40,000 which they got from Vigil. Big news indeed seeing as not only does the 40k brand bring in a host of new possibilities, but also new players and fans who aren’t concerned with the main fantasy focused series.
When I talk about the ‘entire Warhammer universe’ please keep in mind that this is excluding the online MMO which has been moving slowly to say the least in recent years. Otherwise Sega now owns pretty much everything to do with the franchise including domain names and even assets. My best bet is that we’ll end up seeing at least some of those assets in the upcoming game Sega has brewing with Creative Assembly.
Suffice to say Sega has a lot of hope for this franchise and I honestly hope it works out. These games have been proven to make money in the past so I can see why they would spend so much time and money on it. But only time will tell in that regard as Sega still has to officially announce their plans for the series. In the meantime we’ll keep you updated with all this weird copyright mumbo jumbo as more of Sega’s plans become clear.
[Source: PC Authority]
Sega’s purchase of Relic is meant to reinforce their PC development
Jan 26th
Now that the results of THQ’s auction have been approved, several of the big contenders have come forth to reveal their intentions with the dead publisher’s children.
Sega, who purchased Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine developer Relic for an impressive $26.6 million–the highest final bid for any IP or studio in the entire auction–have revealed to Gamasutra that the hefty acquisition is actually intended to “reinforce [their] PC game development efforts.”
This could mean several things, though it likely has to do with Sega’s recent shift to the digital market. I had no idea that the PC is such a substantial focus for the company at the moment, but with such a lofty bid, they must have some real confidence in the potential of the Warhammer and Company of Heroes franchises.
[Source: Gamasutra]
