You’d think bringing back one classic strategy game series would be enough for Relic with the work it’s doing with Age of Empires IV, but no, Relic wants to give us Company of Heroes 3 as well.
This sequel to one of the best tactical RTS games and WW2 games is going to be the most ambitious the series has ever seen, going all out with a new campaign layer, a new setting, and a long-running development cycle (four years and counting) that’s been conducted in close consultation with the fans. There’s only one catch: you’ve got to wait until late next year – at least for the finished game.
Officially Company of Heroes 3 is pegged for a ‘2022’ release, but if you want to try out the pre-alpha build that’s currently doing the rounds, you can get access to it right now until August 2. All you need to do is sign-up (for free) via the official website and link your Steam account. This build is being used as part of the ‘CoH-development’ program – a community collaboration initiative powered by Amplitude’s Games2Gether platform and similar in purpose to what Relic has done with the Age of Empires community.
Before we go on, here’s the announcement trailer:
During a press briefing where we played the same build, executive producer David Littman let slip that COH3 was “over a year from release”, which would give it a window no sooner than autumn 2022. No rush then, but given the scope of the game’s ambition it’s probably for the best, especially when it comes to elements outside of the series’ comfort zone. In Company of Heroes 3’s case, this seems like nearly everything.
Confirmed settings for Company of Heroes 3 include the Italian peninsula, as well as North Africa, which form core pillars of the game’s focus on the Mediterranean theatre – somewhere the series has never covered before. Even war games in general rarely touch on Italy.
The other headline feature involves a meta-campaign layer. This isn’t some replica of Ardennes Assault’s modest (although still terrific) offering – Relic has recreated the environments of the Mediterranean in a fully-rendered 3D campaign map. You move armies around, assault towns, and have to look after logistics and supply lines. When two forces meet or you want to assault an occupied town, it triggers a tactical battle.
If you’ve ever played Steel Division 2, it’s very reminiscent of the Army General solo mode from that game. The tactical RTS layer seems very much the same, with subtle changes. You can imagine a lot of the development focus going into the campaign given how unprecedented it is. The team will want to get it right.
Related: Why Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault is so good
Company of Heroes 3 is due out on PC via Steam in 2022. The pre-alpha preview is runs until 7 pm PDT / 10pm EST August 2 / 3 am BST August 3.
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