Relic Entertainment, the freshly-independent developers of Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Age of Empires IV, have confirmed a number of job losses. The layoffs come just a week after the studio announced their sale from former owners Sega, returning them to independence after two decades.
]]>There will be no "major" expansion content for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III and the studio has turned to other projects, Relic confirmed to us today, despite intentions to the contrary discussed last year. The Games Workshop-themed strategy game was met with a divisive response due to its abandonment of real-time strategy mainstays in favour of more of a hero unit approach, in addition to an overly-formulaic singleplayer campaign.
DOW's active players have slumped in the ten months since release - to the point that there were, over the past 30 days, twice as many people playing the original, 2004 Dawn of War and its expansions as there were last Spring's Dawn of War III.
]]>Another year over, a new one just begun, which means, impossibly, even more games. But what about last year? Which were the games that most people were buying and, more importantly, playing? As is now something of a tradition, Valve have let slip a big ol' breakdown of the most successful titles released on Steam over the past twelve months.
Below is the full, hundred-strong roster, complete with links to our coverage if you want to find out more about any of the games, or simply to marvel at how much seemed to happen in the space of 52 short weeks.
]]>War... war has changed. The latest (and largest) Dawn of War 3 update, "Endless War", is now live. It adds new multiplayer maps, new elite units and new cosmetics to the Warhammer RTS.
If you don't own DoW3 but want to get in on the action, there's also a free weekend running from now until 9pm on Sunday, along with a 50% discount if you want the game for keepsies.
]]>Because weird unlock systems are near-mandatory these days, Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] initially required players to unlock special units and perks by spending a 'Skulls' currency earned by playing. It introduced a load of faff and grind that stopped people playing with the full spectrum of options, in return for the minor fleeting joy of unlocking shiny new bits. A poor trade-off. Well, that's gone. Last week, Relic removed Skulls and unlocked their unlocks for everyone.
"After listening to how fans felt about the Skull system, and watching how players interacted with it in-game, we've decided to unlock all Elites and doctrines for everyone," Relic said.
]]>While Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] has not been to everyone's tastes (our review was fond of its multiplayer but not the singleplayer, for the record), players do now have extra options to tinker with and improve it. Developers Relic Entertainment today launched a big update which includes new mod tools to let folks create new modes and bits, fiddling with it in ways beyond the level editor that was already out. And for those who already like what Dawn of War 3 is, hey, the update included a shedload of balance tweaks.
]]>Relic Entertainment say they've been listening to what players think of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] since its launch almost seven weeks ago, and they're going to make some changes. They're adding new multiplayer modes they say are closer to the first Dawn of War, which will "challenge you to wipe out every last Waaagh Tower and Webway Gate to earn that victory screen." They're also reintroducing buildable turrets through Doctrines, for turtlefolk. Hey, don't look at me: they say this is what you wanted. These won't replace the the old multiplayer modes, sitting alongside 'em. Look for the launch in a free update next week.
]]>If fighting Orks, Space Marines and Eldar was easy, then the universe of the 41st millennium wouldn’t be embroiled in a never-ending, brutal war, and all those poor Nobz, Terminators and Wraithknights would be on the dole. But it doesn’t need to be a slog, either. Allow me to give you a leg up in Dawn of War 3’s [official site] savage multiplayer battles with this guide to its myriad complexities. By the end, you’ll be smashing your enemies’ frail bodies and crushing their dreams.
]]>In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion checks to see which ten games sold best on Steam over the past week. He just can't sleep until he knows whether Prey made it to number one or not.
]]>Proper patches and updates for Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] will start hitting the battlefield next week, developers Relic Entertainment have announced. They've released a few wee emergency hotfixes since the waaagh-roaring RTS launch last week but come Monday they'll start with additions like a Surrender option, followed by server improvements and balance changes.
]]>Did you know: the weekly Steam charts, in which we round-up the ten games which sold best on Steam over the previous week, are broadly the most-read articles on RPS these days?
That means I can never stop. Never. Stop.
]]>Something I enjoy doing, because my capacity to be tedious is matched only by my willingness to waste time on doomed endeavours, is trying to get games working on below-minimum spec PCs. Specifically, my aged Surface Pro 3 and its lousy integrated Intel graphics. Offline mode confusions aside, Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] is exactly the kind of game I want to play on train rides, but officially it requires a 2GB dedicated graphics card. Unofficially, not so much. I've got it running, and made it look like an early 2000s RTS in the process.
]]>It's still early days for me in Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] , and, truth be told, I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it. It's tricksy beast, a little higher-maintenance than I'm used to from this series, with less attachment to any individual squad/unit, but the pay-off for that is far vaster armies and a more spectular sense of Only War than ever before.
The stand-out element for me so far, though, is the Ork Waaagh! Dem boyz really go to town when they hear the call to war.
]]>There's been slow-burning confusion about whether Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] (due out mere hours from now) is going to be one of those bothersome always-online sorts of games, even in singleplayer mode.
It's reasonably apparent that multiplayer is the main focus of their RTS-meets-MOBA dakka dakka, but there are plenty of boring old bottom-burps like me who are only really interested in solo slaughter. I dropped Relic/Sega a line to establish whether or not you need to be online for singleplayer, exactly what happens if you go offline while playing, and why they've gone for the system they have.
]]>We have a GIFbot in the RPS staff chatroom. GIFbot is a treacherous and unreliable creature, often offering wildly irrelevant or breathtakingly banal results when we type '/gif whateverphrase' and then cope with whatever it randomly pulls from whatever reprobate corner of the internet it's plugged into it. However, often enough its results are so irrelevant as to be perfection itself. And so we shall keep it around for an eternity, and reach for it in our darkest hours.
For instance, in the absence of a better conceit for the latest Steam Charts. For these, once again, are the ten games with the most accumulated sales on Steam over the past week. Take it away, GIFbot.
]]>Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] isn't out until Thursday but heck, if we've already reviewed it, why can't Sega release a launch trailer? Why not follow it up with an announcement trailer? Perhaps they'll even release Dawn of War 2 next. The linear perception of time can do one. The launch trailer shows what will happen when you bring a mirror (or shiny spear) to a war: it'll end up in pieces, just like our flipping timeline. Oh, but do remember the RTS's multiplayer open beta weekend starts today.
]]>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] wants to be everything you like about the series, and its very different predecessors, in a single RTS. Missed the big armies and the base building? They’re back. Prefer fighting with beefy heroic units with lots of special abilities? They’re here too. It’s trying to be all things to all men, women, Orks and Eldar, and crikey does it come close to succeeding. So close you can hear the heavy metal roar of an Ork Waaagh tower and the thudding of Space Marine boots.
]]>The multiplayer open beta test for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III is starting Friday but ugh, waiting! For those who want to see 40K real-time strategy action right now, Relic have released a video of a full 3v3 match with commentary from some of the folks who made the game. They seem to know a thing or two about how it works. The forty-minute match sees Orks, Eldar, and Space Marines all represented on the battlefield in a big ol' rumble with megaunits and megapowers aplenty. Observe:
]]>Signups have opened for the Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] multiplayer open beta test due to run later this month. The open beta will let all and sundry play a limited slice of multiplayer from April 21st to 24th, ahead of the RTS's proper launch on the 27th. It'll have all three factions, though not with all their customisation options and Elite units, along with three maps. After reading Fraser Brown's Dawn of War 3 preview, I'm certainly up for a weekend of waaagh!
]]>Among the many things that might wake you up in the morning – coffee, cigarettes, aggressive thrash metal – nothing really comes close to being chased by a towering Space Marine Titan, spewing out fire and bullets in a wanton display of horrifying aggression as pitiful Orks scatter and flee. Dawn of War 3’s [official site] invigorating multiplayer is like a shot of adrenaline, blood-pumping, loud and messy.
Based on my time with it, there’s a great deal going on in Relic’s latest foray into the grimdark universe of Warhammer 40K. It’s not entirely unlike attempting to play the previous two Dawn of Wars at the same time, a mashup of each game’s best bits, but with more stuff drawn from both the tabletop games and even other genres.
]]>A dramatic new trailer for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 [official site] is here, which means lots of Space Marines and Eldar wanking on about prophecies, some wandering world, the Spear of Khaine, lords, betrayal, and other gubbins until Orks roll up looking for "da pointy stikk." Bless your murderous hearts, Orks. This cinematic-o-gameclip video introduces the broad story in Relic's RTS and yes, it does basically boil down to finding a pointy stick. But what better item to fight over? If you can win a fight without a pointy stick, just imagine how powerful you'll be once you get one!
]]>As Old Father Time grabs his sickle and prepares to take ailing 2016 around the back of the barn for a big sleep, we're looking to the future. The mewling pup that goes by the name 2017 will come into the world soon and we must prepare ourselves for its arrival. Here at RPS, our preparations come in the form of this enormous preview feature, which contains details on more than a hundred of the exciting games that are coming our way over the next twelve months. 2016 was a good one - in the world of games at least - but, ever the optimists, we're hoping next year will be even better.
]]>Along with the rest of the Ork faction, Dawn of War III [official site] is rolling out the red carpet – well, the battle-worn, looted and bloodspattered carpet – for a familiar face: Gorgutz 'Ead 'Unter. The warlord took a break from the franchise for the second game but is returning with a mighty power klaw and a striking yellow makeover for Relic's third game in the series. The devs are keeping schtum about most of the narrative side of things for now, but were more than happy to chat about the new look for the remodelled collector of skulls (and other shiny gimcrackery).
Art director, Matt Kuzminski, was on hand to discuss gigantic bionic arms, spiked punching fists and swaggering cubes…
]]>Everything we've seen and played of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III [official site] so far has focused on those corpse-worshipping spacethugs, the Space Marines. Now let's class this joint up. Relic have started gabbing about the Eldar, the spaceelf dandies who are going extinct because they proper cocked everything up but still make time to look good. Also, they make mechs for ghosts to live in. Have a peep:
]]>Our Adam got to play a preview version of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III [official site] in July, reporting back with tales of Space Marines stomping heads, weathering waves of Eldar reinforcements, over-extending and leaving his base vulnerable, and stomping around with a giant stompy mech. Good tales, Adam. If you fancy seeing the mission he played for yourself, handily the folks at Games Pot have now recorded a 50-minute video showing their attempt.
]]>Even though Sega have been publishing PC strategy and simulation games for years now, I still can't see the company logo or hear the word without thinking back to hours spent at schoolfriends' houses, trying to work out if Sonic was too fast or I was too slow. The acquisition of Amplitude was the point that I decided that I needed to ask Sega a very simple question: "Do you want to marry PC strategy games?"
At Gamescom, I sat down with Jurgen Post, COO of Sega of Europe.
]]>Last month, I visited Relic at their home in Vancouver. As well as spending a few hours with a single, complete mission from the Dawn of War III [official site] campaign, I had the chance to sit in on short presentations from various members of the team, demonstrating how their own contributions and creativity become part of the bigger picture. There was a lot to absorb, including enough environmental variety to excite the extraterrestrial explorer in me (ruined temples on jungle planets? Yes please), but one series of brief videos stood out, despite containing nothing that hinted at previously unseen planets or units.
The best of the videos used simple shapes to tell me everything I needed to know about the game's races, and how well Relic understand them.
]]>In the grim darkness of the far future, there are only Warhammer posts on RPS. Jim is interred within the Golden Throne, his withered remains a beacon guiding humanity through the darkness of the web. As for Kieron, well... traitors get what they deserve.
Adam has already told you what he chatted about and saw of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III [official site] during E3 in June. But what if Adam's a heretic? What if he's under a dark influence? You'll have to watch the RTS's E3 demo for yourself, now that Relic have released it in handy YouTube format:
]]>I’ve never seen anything quite as Warhammer 40k as the fire that rains from the sky when Relic’s representative calls in orbital bombardment on an Eldar army. It’s like the finger of an extremely angry god, a column of flame that can be dragged around the planet surface, disintegrating any unit that it touches. Eldar become brittle silhouettes, elevated by the white heat for a moment as if undergoing a warped Ascension, and then they crumble to ash. This is Dawn of War III [official site] and it's hideous, awesome and garish.
]]>Relic showed the first smidgen of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III [official site] in-game action during E3 while my back was turned and none of you simpering cowards thought to remind me? This is heresy of the foulest order. Right then! You rabble get to sit on the naughty warstep for the next millennium.
For the benefit of good warboys and wargirls, here's the not-really-gameplay-despite-what-Relic-say look at a grizzled Gabriel Angelos duffing up some Eldar with the help of his Space Marine chums and a 14-metre mech named Imperial Knight Solaria:
]]>Relic are making Dawn of War 3 for release in 2017. Trés excite. What we have about the strategy game so far is a press release and a CG trailer, but if there's one game that's allowed to reveal itself via silly computer generated bombast, it's probably this one about an endless galactic war. Look at the satisfied war face above, then hop below to watch the trailer and see if you feel similarly.
]]>At the very least, Relic are updating their Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War games to add Steam trading cards. That wouldn't be too exciting. It'd be nice that they - and new publisher Sega, who picked the series up after THQ sank - still care about the series enough to do that, but it's probably leading up to something, right? DoW 2 and all its gubbins are all on sale right now too.
Watchful eyes also noticed recently that Sega updated the long-held domain Dawnofwar3.com back in March. That isn't at all conclusive, and I wouldn't post either of these Dawn of War titbits by themselves, but together? Let's dare to dream.
]]>It's been one of those days. And by that, I of course mean what everybody does when they say that: a day during which basically everything you read somehow relates to THQ's slow, withering dismemberment at the vulture-like beaks of hungry publishers. But that goes without saying. Some things, however, aren't quite as simple as months and months of studio and license sales, culminating in more questions than answers. For instance, what happens if a series gets tangled up in the crisscrossing webs of multiple owners? Sure, THQ's now history, but that still leaves Relic, Sega, and Games Workshop to figure out the logistics of bringing Dawn of War back from the brink. And yet, while it won't necessarily be the easiest thing in the world, Relic game director Quinn Duffy is confident that it can - and probably will - eventually happen.
]]>THQ are hyping their big announcement for Dawn Of War 3 at GamesCom in August, and they've been chatting to EG about it, claiming that they want to allow players to create "custom mega armies". Relic marketing manager James McDermott said:
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