Relic Entertainment

Relic Entertainment is a developer and publisher.

Relic Entertainment Webpage, Facebook

A Canadian development studio located in Vancouver. The studio is best known for the Homeworld, Company of Heroes, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series, with its games available on both PC and consoles. From January 2013 to March 28, 2024, the studio was owned by the Japanese company Sega.

History of Relic Entertainment

Interstellar beginnings

The history of Relic Entertainment begins in 1997, when Alex Garden and Luke Moloney founded the company in Vancouver. Players had to wait nearly two years for the studio’s debut project. In 1999, Homeworld was released - an acclaimed real-time strategy game set in the distant future. The gameplay centered on large-scale space battles featuring massive fleets of ships. A major reason for the game’s success was its fully 3D environment.

Homeworld achieved cult status, making a sequel very likely. Relic Entertainment’s next release didn’t arrive until 2003. That was Impossible Creatures, an innovative RTS where players could create and command hybrid animal chimeras in battle. At the time, the developers claimed players could design over 300,000 different combinations of these creatures. Although the game was successful, it didn’t generate the same level of excitement among players as its predecessor.

The developers had no choice but to get back to work, leading to the eventual release of Homeworld 2. Compared to the original, the game featured much-improved graphics, and while it showcased a high level of craftsmanship, some of the changes to gameplay mechanics didn’t sit well with all fans of the series.

The age of Company of Heroes and Warhammer 40,000

In 2004, the studio was acquired by THQ for almost ten million dollars. The developers quickly adapted to their new situation - since the rights to the Homeworld brand stayed with Vivendi Games, they had to leave the universe they created behind and shift to the Warhammer 40,000 setting. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War debuted in 2004 and quickly won over not just fans of Games Workshop’s miniatures, but also many enthusiasts of classic RTS games. Alongside its impressive graphics, the game’s success was driven by clear gameplay mechanics and rich content - including both a single-player campaign and an extensive multiplayer mode. Just a year later, the developers kept the momentum going with the release of the first expansion, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Winter Assault.

Shortly after the Xbox 360 launched, Relic Entertainment made the move into the console market. The Outfit was a tactical game set during World War II. The game received a lukewarm reception, especially compared to Company of Heroes: Band of Brothers, which launched the same year. Outstanding graphics, deep gameplay mechanics, a cinematic campaign and a robust multiplayer mode are key reasons the game remains popular even today.

Between 2006 and 2008, the studio released two expansions for its most recent games. Dawn of War was the first, getting the expansion Dark Crusade in 2006. 2007 marked the release of Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, while 2008 saw the release of the final expansion for the original Dawn of War, Soulstorm. It’s also worth noting that in 2007, THQ confirmed that Relic had regained the rights to Homeworld. However, the publisher said nothing about the development of a potential third installment in the series.

Cracks showing

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, released in 2009, split the franchise’s fanbase. Unlike its predecessor, a traditional RTS, the game leaned more toward tactical gameplay - mainly because players controlled small squads of soldiers - or even RPG elements, as units gained experience and grew more powerful over time. The game, which received two expansions in the following years (Chaos Rising and Retribution), still earned the appreciation of a sizable group of players.

Before Company of Heroes 2 launched in 2013, the original game received another expansion, Tales of Valor. The last game developed by Relic Entertainment under THQ was the moderately well-received Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, a third-person shooter set in the eponymous universe. Shortly after, in 2013, the studio’s parent company went bankrupt, and the team was acquired by Sega. Three months later, the rights to the Homeworld franchise were acquired by Gearbox Software.

A new era

Under the guidance of a new publisher, the long-awaited game finally hit store shelves in 2013: Company of Heroes 2. The developers stuck to a proven gameplay formula but added plenty of new features - like dynamic weather and a fully revamped cover system - earning praise from fans. As a result, the following years saw three expansions released for the game, the last being The British Forces in 2015.

This gave Relic Entertainment a new lease on life. In 2017, the third installment of the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series was released, combining the best elements of its two predecessors. The game’s strong reviews foreshadowed a commercial success.

Less than a year after release, Relic Entertainment announced that it was ending support for the game. Despite relatively positive reviews from industry critics, the game failed to capture players’ interest, and its sales turned out to be a major disappointment. Nevertheless, the developers weren't left without work.

Meanwhile, in August 2017, Microsoft announced Age of Empires IV, entrusting its development to Relic Entertainment. In January 2019, it was announced that Mikolaj Stroinski, known for his work on the soundtrack of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, would be composing the music. The first gameplay footage of Age of Empires IV was revealed in November of that same year at the X019 event. Nevertheless, the release was still a long way off.

Additionally, the developers were secretly working on another project. The possibility that this project was Company of Heroes 3 was hinted at when, in October and November 2017, the developers asked players what they wanted to see in such a game. In July 2021, the studio finally unveiled the previously closely guarded details and officially announced the game. Company of Heroes 3 was announced for PC and slated to launch in late 2022. At that time, the developers shared that the project was being developed with feedback from the franchise’s community and would feature several new changes. The most notable change was the addition of a large regional map, where players would take turns in a strategic, turn-based mode. Additionally, the real-time missions were set to include an active pause feature.

As for Age of Empires IV, after its first gameplay reveal, there was a long period of silence surrounding the game. It wasn’t until a year later that we learned the project was fully playable. We had to wait until April 2021 for the next major gameplay reveal, when it was also announced that the game would launch on PC in the Fall. Age of Empires IV launched in stores (and on Xbox Game Pass) on October 28, 2021. Interestingly, development wrapped up just a week before its release. Nevertheless, Relic Entertainment and its partner studio, World's Edge, were able to call the project a success. On the day before its release, the game had an average score of 83/100 on Metacritic. In the months that followed, the developers continued to expand the game; in October 2022, it was announced that Age of Empires IV would arrive on Xbox Series X/S in 2023.

Company of Heroes 3 debuted on PC - after a delay - in February 2023. While the game earned an average rating of 81/100 from industry media (according to Metacritic), it received only mixed reviews on Steam. On May 30, 2023, CoH 3 also launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

A little later, in August, Age of Empires IV was released on Xbox Series X/S, while in October, Company of Heroes Collection - a remake of the original Company of Heroes along with its two expansion packs - launched on Nintendo Switch.

Troubles and a new beginning

Meanwhile, in May 2023, Sega announced that Relic Entertainment would undergo a wave of layoffs, resulting in the loss of over 120 employees. This was attributed to “external factors” that were negatively impacting the entire industry.

Although dark clouds began to gather over the team, on March 28, 2024, a glimmer of hope appeared. Relic Entertainment then announced that, thanks to support from an external investor, it had regained its independence. Unfortunately, these events led to further layoffs, dictated by the desire to “survive in an increasingly volatile industry,” resulting in the loss of 41 additional employees.

Over the following months, Relic Entertainment focused on developing Company of Heroes 3 and Age of Empires IV. In February 2025, the studio shared its future plans with fans, which included continuing development on existing projects as well as creating and releasing new games, ranging from “smaller internal projects” to “larger, complex strategy titles.” Furthermore, the developers announced that they would “explore opportunities” to refresh older titles, including re-releases, remasters, and remakes from the studio’s portfolio.

Return to roots

The first results of this initiative arrived sooner than expected. In May 2025, Relic Entertainment announced Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Definitive Edition, a remastered version of its iconic strategy game. Alongside updated graphics, it was to include all expansions from the original and maintain full compatibility with existing mods.