Real-time strategy fans looking forward to sinking their teeth into the World War II action of Relic Entertainment’s upcomingCompany of Heroes 3will have to wait a bit longer to join the battle following the announcement that the game’s release date has been pushed to 2023.Company of Heroes 3is the latest entry in the long-running franchise that has earned a special place in the hearts of fans due to its unique take on the RTS genre.Company of Heroes 3was announced in the summer of 2021and lets players take control of a squad of soldiers as they fight on the battlefields of North Africa and Italy. The firstCompany of Heroesgame was released on PC in 2006 and received praised for adding innovative new features to a genre that had grown stale after the golden age of RTS games in the 1990s. Featuring fully destructible environments, gameplay where players capture resource points to grow their armies, and a camera system that let players zoom all the way down to battlefield level to view the chaos up close,Company of Heroesestablished a winning formula that would continue in the game’s expansions and sequels.RELATED:Rumor: Minecraft is Getting an RTS Spin-offCiting concerns among the development team that the game wasn’t meeting their quality standards or those of series fans, the officialCompany of HeroesTwitter account announced thatCompany of Heroes 3’s release date has been moved to February 23rd, 2023. Fans of the series were generally positive in response to the tweet, with many stating that they’d prefer the slight delay over a release potentially filled with bugs. Excitement for the game’s release had been building ever sincea newCompany of Heroes 3trailer was releasedin August, and some gamers expressed their disappointment at the delay in the comments.
The real-time strategy genre has seen something of a renaissance in recent years following the success of titles like Relic’s ownAge of Empires IVand EA’sCommand & Conquer Remastered Collection, with studios both large and small all offering their own takes on the genre. Some of these titles have even taken cues fromCompany of Heroes’squad-based gameplay, such asTHQ Nordic’s upcoming medieval RTSThe Valiantwhich tasks players with controlling a squad of crusaders in medieval Europe.
Even with gamers growing accustomed to high-profile games being delayed in recent years, today’s news likely stings forCompany of Heroesfans. Relic Entertainment have repeatedly proven to be masters at creating enjoyable RTS games, and hopefully this delay ensures thatCompany of Heroes 3will be bug-free and ready for battle when it releases. BetweenCompany of Heroes 3andthe recently announcedTempest Risingfrom THQ Nordic, 2023 is shaping up to be a good year for RTS fans.
Company of Heroes 3is currently set to be released on June 21, 2025 for PC.
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