relic-entertainment posts

As promised, the multiplayer beta test for Relic's stand alone RTS expansion pack Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution has now gone live. People who have already pre-ordered the game via Steam can go ahead and download the multiplayer beta client now. People who have received a key to download the beta must follow the instructions on the game's community web site to get the beta client.

As we have previously reported the beta contain all six playable factions in the full version of the game (The Imperial Guard, Space Marines, Chaos Space Marines, Eldar, Tyranids, and Orks). On February 8, any person who has bought any Dawn of War game via Steam will gain access to the Retribution beta client. The beta is expected to run through February 24 with the game itself to be released on March 1.

Update: It looks like there have been some issues with distribution of the game's beta keys although some players have in fact made it into the beta test.

In a major surprise, developer Relic Entertainment and publisher THQ have announced that the online persistent WWII RTS game Company of Heroes Online will shut down on March 31 "to evaluate the next steps for the Company of Heroes series." The game's web site has posted up an FAQ page with more info on the shut down. It states, "After several very successful months we have a wealth of data and feedback that the team at Relic and the wider online team at THQ can digest and use to shape and enhance our future offerings."

Players are no longer able to purchase in-game cash from the site but can use previously purchased cash in the game until March 31. Company of Heroes Online retail cash cards can be redeemed to be used in the game until March 1.

The game started its open beta phase last September and was continuously updated until today's announcement. Indeed the development team added a new map to Company of Heroes Online just last week. Any player who registered to play in the open beta before today will be able to purchase and download Company of Heroes Gold Edition from THQ's online store for just $4.99.

Update: Big Download has gotten off the phone with a THQ PR rep who told us that Company of Heroes Online will be shut down in both North America and Asian territories. The PR rep said that at the moment he was not aware of any layoffs at Relic as a result of the shutdown but such announcements might be reserved for THQ's quarterly financial results which, as it happens, will be announced on Wednesday.

The legacy of Brian Wood, the lead designer of Company of Heroes Online who died tragicaly in a car crash in September, continues to be felt by Wood's employer Relic Entertainment. This week the developer announced plans to establish the Brian Wood Memorial Game Design Internship.

The internship will give one graduate of the Vancouver Film School' Game Design Program a chance to get a four month internship at Relic, working directly with one of the developer's teams. The first internship will be awarded in February and Relic plans to offer paid internships to three graduate students each year.

Fans of the Last Stand survival-style mode that is a part of the sci-fi RTS game Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II will be happy to know that the upcoming stand alone expansion pack Dawn of War II Retribution will be adding some new content to that popular mode. PC Gamer is reporting that the mode from developer Relic and publisher THQ will add a new hero and a new map to the Last Stand mode.

The new hero is the Imperial Guard's Lord General which PC Gamer says "relies on summoned reinforcements and deployable turrets". The new level is unnamed but is described as a "volcanic-themed map" that will become a big challenge to even veteran Last Stand players. The new content will be included when Retribution is released on March 1.

The next game in the Dawn of War RTS series is due out in March but before that happens developer Relic and publisher THQ will be running it through a beta test. The publisher announced today that the multiplayer beta for Warhammer 40,0000 Dawn of War II Retribution will begin two weeks from today on January 31.

The beta will include all six playable factions in the game and will also test out the game's Steamworks features. January 31 will see the beta open for members of the press and select community members. The next day, February 1, will see the beta open up for people who have already pre-ordered the game. Finally any person who has bought any Dawn of War game via Steam will gain access to the beta on February 8.

[Via VG247.com]

The free-to-play WWII RTS game Company of Heroes Online may technically be still in open beta but the team at the game's developer Relic Entertainment are certainly treating the game as if it were officially launched. This week the game's players got a chance to check out a new map for the game.

The new two player map is called Beach Assault and as you might guess from its title it's inspired by the D-Day beach landings at Normandy. Players must try to control the beach in order to control the fuel supply as more fuel equals faster access to more powerful units in the game. The new map is now available for Reward Games and Custom Games.

Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War II Retribution is still on track for its release on March 1 and today publisher THQ announced plans for both a Collector's Edition of the stand alone RTS expansion pack as well as some pre-order extras for the Relic Entertainment-developed game.

The Collector's Edition, priced at $39.99, will only be available to purchase at THQ.com's online store. It will come in an exclusive box, contain a new poster and six race art cards and all of the bonus wargear for all six playable factions in the game. The regular $29.99 edition of the game will give the player the option of pre-ordering one of the six race packs. THQ.com buyers get exclusive access to the Tyranid race pack while Steam owners have the exclusive on the Ork Race Pack. The other four race packs (Space Marine, Chaos Space Marine, Eldar and Imperial Guard) are also available to choose from. After the game is released, THQ will offer all of the race packs to purchase on Steam " for a nominal fee."

It appears that there's yet another game development studio in the already crowded Vancouver, British Columbia area. Relicnews.com reports that Blackbird Interactive was recently formed in that section of the world. According to this LinkedIn profile, the company was founded by Rob Cunningham, who was a co-founder and creative director at Relic Entertainment. He served as art director for Relic's two Homeworld space-based RTS games. He left Relic to join a non-gaming business in 2007 before forming Blackbird Interactive earlier this year.

It's currently unknown what Blackbird Interactive is currently working on or for what platform. Hopefully we will get the 411 on this development soon.

Company of Heroes Online is technically still in its "Open Beta" phase but this week the persistent online WWII RTS game from developer Relic and publisher THQ is now offering some free in-game "Loyalty Packs" for people who have purchased the previous games in the series.

The packs include "Hero Units, Army Items, experience points, and supply points" for use in Company of Heroes Online. It you own the original Company of Heroes, the Opposing Fronts and Tales of Valor expansion packs and/or the Company of Heroes Gold Edition you can plug in your retail CD Key in the "Redeem Code" box in Company of Heroes Online's in-game store to gain access to the Loyalty Packs.

While technically the game is still in open beta, the persistent online WWII RTS game Company of Heroes Online is already prepping up some new content for the game. Developer Relic Entertainment has detailed what will be in the next big update called Operation Menace.

The update will have some balance changes for both the American and the Wehrmacht armies. The American faction will have an "Exhaustion" period of 10 second for their units if those units use its Fire-Up or Sprint abilities. There's also been a bug that has been fixed that made some vehicles invulnerable to attacks if they got down to 5 percent health.