SEGA has announced that it has sold Relic Entertainment and laid off around 240 employees across several of its European studios. This was reportedly done for the “optimization of fixed expenses and improvement of investment efficiency”. Additionally, according to GamesIndustry.biz, the studios mostly impacted by the layoffs include Creative Assembly and SEGA Europe, with a “small number” from HARDlight. Relic Entertainment also announced that it will now be an indie studio with an external investor and will continue to work on titles like Company of Heroes 3.
An announcement from Relic Entertainment:
We have an important announcement for our players and fans. With an external investor, Relic Entertainment will become an independently-run development studio. This is a huge change for us, but one thing does not change: we want to create amazing experiences for our players.
To our fans, we want to assure you we will continue to support our titles, including Company of Heroes 3—we are looking forward to the 1.6 Update in April, loaded with new content and features requested by our community.
We want to thank SEGA, whose support over the years and guidance during this transition have been instrumental to our success. We may be out of the SEGA business, but we remain friends and colleagues.
We are excited about this next chapter for Relic, and we hope you will all join us in creating new experiences for our fans worldwide.
Company of Heroes 3 details via SEGA:
For the very first time, Relic Entertainment is bringing its universally lauded Company of Heroes franchise to console players, offering fans around the world the deepest strategic experience yet. Console players can expect a custom UI, full controller support, and special features that allow them to play at their own pace. Furthermore, the user interface has been adapted for gamepads to ensure a fun and immersive experience for all.
New features like Full Tactical Pause offer gamepad players a level of tactical control over the pacing on the battlefield. By freezing the action, players who choose to employ Full Tactical Pause will be able to coordinate all their actions at once, thinking through every move in detail without the pressure of doing it all in real-time.
Company of Heroes‘ renowned boots-on-the-ground storytelling will bring players to a brand-new theatre of war, unlocking authentic new tactics, four distinct factions, and a wealth of untold stories from World War II. In single-player modes, the turn-based Italian Dynamic Campaign offers a sandbox-style gameplay experience with new levels of strategic choice, whereas the sweeping deserts of North Africa allow for a classic, narrative-led single-player experience. For players that enjoy their competitive action, Company of Heroes 3 has a huge online multiplayer and co-op vs AI offer, with more factions, mechanics and units than ever before.
Players can pre-purchase their digital copy of Company of Heroes 3 Console Edition directly via the Microsoft Store on Xbox and the PlayStation store front from April 25, 2023, or pre-order a physical copy via www.companyofheroes.com. Physical pre-order start dates may vary by territory. For more information about Company of Heroes 3, head over to the official website, where players can also sign up for Relic’s community feedback platform.
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Includes several titles.
Which was showcased at E3 2003.