14 DAY TRIAL // A rumor included in the most recent issue of the magazine PC Gamer suggests that developer Relic Entertainment is working on a new game in the Company of Heroes universe, although it is not clear whether the company is preparing a true sequel or plans to simply expand the game that was first launched during 2006.
The game would be published by THQ, with which Relic has a long term relationship, but the company has not offered any comment on the rumor and has not previously announced any plans for the Company of Heroes series.
Relic is at the moment working on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III, which might get a launch date in 2013 and is apparently set to link the strategic gameplay of the first game in the strategy series with the tactical options offered in the second one.
The company might also be in the planning stages for another entry in the series of action titles based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe that was started this year with Space Marine.
Relic initially made a name for themselves with the two Homeworld space based strategy games, which offered a degree of freedom and tactical options unseen until that moment.
The company then delivered the first Dawn of War game, which received three expansions, and proceeded to revolutionize the World War II strategy space with Company of Heroes, which brought the player close to the battlefield and forced him to pay attention to logistical as well as tactical issues.
Relic has also created a spin-off called Company of Heroes Online, which was supposed to pioneer the free-to-play multiplayer online genre but failed to attract enough players and was closed down earlier during the year.
The Company of Heroes sequel will probably continue to focus on tactical challenges while expanding on the options that gamers have when it comes to units and support powers.