The long-awaited Company of Heroes 3 is set to release in late 2022, an announcement from developer Relic Entertainment has revealed.
The reveal of the first new title in the series since 2013’s Company of Heroes 2, coming after a nearly day-long teaser stream, included both a cinematic trailer and a stint of developer-guided gameplay – both of which you can watch below:
Set once again during the Second World War, the trailer shows the scope of Company of Heroes 3: The North Africa campaign and the subsequent Allied invasion of Italy. Relic also provided further details in a supplementary overview. Notable inclusions include an apparent use of the original 2006 Company of Heroes as a reference point for “gameplay pacing and quality target”, a mapped campaign a-la Company of Heroes 2’s 2014 expansion Ardennes Assault, and “more maps than any previous game.” New features will also come into play, such as being able to ‘breach’ garrisoned buildings and give yourself breathing space with a single-player ‘Tactical Pause’ system.
Lastly, the reveal came with a publicly available pre-Alpha build. You can download it via Steam by creating an account on the game’s website. (If you run into “disposable [e-mail] address” issues, try again after a few minutes.) The build unfortunately contains no multiplayer content yet, but a handful of single-player missions are playable. It’s also very unfinished, being an early version of the game, but a thread containing known issues and recommended system specs can be found here.
But we’re forgetting the most important part: Playable ANZACs. Indeed, Aussies and Kiwis played a major role throughout the Mediterranean theater and to see them recognised in a series I have fond memories of is a wonderful feeling. It’s Civilization all over again!
Arana blames her stunted social skills and her general uselessness on a lifetime of video games. Between her ears is a comprehensive Team Fortress 2 encyclopedia. Her brain remains at large.
