When the first Company of Heroes game released in 2006, it received critical acclaim unlike most other real-time strategy titles before it. Now, the franchise's second iteration is due out on June 25, 2013 for PC, and boy are we excited.
Developed by Relic Entertainment, CoH 2 focuses primarily on World War II's Eastern Front. The player will take control of the Soviet Red Army and participate in notable battles pertinent to the faction, such as Operation Barbarossa.
Relic Entertainment has reportedly pulled out all the stops for CoH 2, as the game features a number of proprietary softwares and frameworks. Most notable of these is Relic's own 'Essence 3.0 Game Engine,' which THQ claims will allow for new technological advancements within the game. Some of these include, but are not limited to: dynamic weather conditions, destructible environments and TrueSight. TrueSight looks to recreate what the troops on a battlefield actually see through the classic 'Fog of War' game mechanic. I was able to see this feature in action at last year's E3 Expo, and it could prove to be a bar-raising innovation for RTS gameplay. Lastly, but certainly not least, we know that the game will take advantage of Direct X 11, but will allow for use of Direct X 9.
One of the more interesting parts of the game lies not in its gameplay or architecture, but in its development. On January 23, 2013 it was revealed that the franchise had been sold to SEGA, as THQ (the game's original publisher) had gone bankrupt. The selling price was set at $26.6 million, and to our knowledge, this change in publishers has not had an effect on the game or its release date.
While this may not have affected its development time, THQ's Danny Bilson was firm on its stance regarding post-launch downloadable content, who wanted to sport “a strong post-launch digital content plan that enhances and expands the product’s lifecycle," for the game. It's not clear on whether or not SEGA plans to hold true to this mantra, but considering the enormous nature of CoH 2, we're expecting that they do.
So, what do we have?
- Release date of June 25, 2013 for PC
- Game focuses primarily on the Eastern Front of World War II
- Player takes on the role of the Soviet Red Army
- New Essence 3.0 Game Engine to be utilized
- TrueSight, dynamic weather and destructible environments
- Direct X 11 support
- Troubled but still-okay development process
- Expectation of strong post-launch digital content
