Publisher THQ's upcoming launch of the free-to-play online WWII RTS game Company of Heroes Online hasn't perhaps gotten as much media attention as it should. However, the adaptation of developer Relic Entertainment's RTS franchise into a new format represents the latest attempt from a Western publisher to enter a genre that's been dominated by games imported from Asian-based developers and publishers.

While Company of Heroes Online has been in a closed beta test for the past month or so, THQ has now sent word that the open beta test for the game is now scheduled to begin sometime next week. The final version of the title is expected to launch sometime this fall.