Relic Entertainment

Last updated
Relic Entertainment Inc.
FormerlyTHQ Canada Inc. (2004–2013)
Type Subsidiary
Industry Video games
FoundedMay 1997;25 years ago (1997-05)
Founders
  • Alex Garden
  • Luke Moloney
  • Erin Daly
  • Aaron Kambeitz
  • Rob Cunningham
  • Gary Shaw
  • Shane Alfreds
Headquarters
Vancouver, British Columbia
,
Canada
Products
Parent
Website relic.com

Relic Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as THQ Canada Inc.) is a Canadian video game developer based in Vancouver, founded in 1997. The studio specializes in real-time strategy games and is known for series such as Homeworld , Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes . Acquired by THQ in 2004, the company was sold to Sega on January 22, 2013 as part of THQ's bankruptcy. [1] [2] Relic is now a part of Sega Europe, which also comprises Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive and Amplitude Studios. [3]

Contents

History

Relic was founded in May 1997 by Alex Garden, Luke Moloney, Erin Daly, Aaron Kambeitz, Rob Cunningham, Gary Shaw, and Shane Alfreds. [4] The name of the company was chosen because they liked the name and it was easy to pronounce. [4] Their first title, Homeworld , was released on September 28, 1999 to critical acclaim and successful sales. Though they did not immediately continue working on the franchise (Sierra Entertainment, the game's publisher, owned the rights), the game did have a spin-off, Homeworld: Cataclysm , developed by Barking Dog Studios and published by Sierra.

Their next title was Impossible Creatures , released by Microsoft on January 7, 2003. It focused on a fictional environment during the 1930s, allowing players to design units from different anatomical parts of animals. The game was successful, though it did not receive the same attention as Homeworld.

Homeworld 2 was released on September 16, 2003. Although it boasted improved graphics and features and changed some elements of gameplay from the original, reviews cited some issues and did not score it as highly as its predecessor.

On April 27, 2004, publisher THQ announced it was acquiring Relic for close to US$10 million in an all-cash transaction, completed around early May, 2004. [5]

Relic released Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War on September 20, 2004, a real-time strategy game based on Games Workshop's popular Warhammer 40,000 franchise. The game was a success, with many reviewers applauding its innovative resource management system and squad-based interface. As a series Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide as of January 2013. [6]

Following up on the success of Dawn of War, Relic released an expansion pack entitled Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault on September 23, 2005. The expansion added a fifth faction, the Imperial Guard, to the game, as well as giving the existing races several new units. The expansion was mildly successful, although it did not have the impact of the original game.

Relic's first foray into the console world of gaming, The Outfit , was released on March 13, 2006 for the Xbox 360. Not very successful, many reviewers saw it as a love-it-or-hate-it game. It was also criticized for its weak single-player modes.

Company of Heroes , a World War II-themed real-time strategy game, was released on September 12, 2006. It used Relic's new Essence engine. The engine, which had been designed in-house by Relic, featured many next-generation graphical effects, including HDR and dynamic lighting, as well as utilizing the Havok middleware physics engine. The game was very successful and won many awards from multiple gaming magazines and websites. As of January 2013, the Company of Heroes series has sold more than 4 million copies worldwide. [6]

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade , a second, standalone expansion pack for Dawn of War, was released on October 9, 2006. It brought many new things to the franchise: two new races (the Necrons and the Tau), new units for the existing races and a Total War -esque turn-based campaign, as well as a rebalancing and tweaking of game mechanics. Its standalone design meant that the player did not need the original Dawn of War or the Winter Assault expansion for the game's full features (apart from online multiplayer games). It was successful and considered one of the best expansions of 2006.

On September 25, 2007, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts , the stand alone expansion pack to Company of Heroes was released. It introduced two new playable armies, the British 2nd Army and the German Panzer Elite.

There has been speculation supported through various sources that Relic has re-acquired the rights to the Homeworld franchise from Vivendi. Finally, following the discovery of a document on the United States Patent and Trademark Office's electronic filing system by a fan, THQ confirmed that Relic indeed owns the trademark again, making a continuation of the series under THQ's lead possible. However, no comment on future installments was given. [7]

On November 3, 2008, Relic announced a second Company of Heroes stand-alone expansion, Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor , which was released on April 9, 2009. This expansion introduced a new campaign, new units, weapons, game play features and three new game types. [8]

Relic released the sequel to Dawn of War, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II , on February 18, 2009. It featured the introduction of the Tyranids to the Dawn of War series. In an attempt to avoid recent complaints about digital rights management, Relic chose to release Dawn of War II on Steam and use Games for Windows – Live to arrange multiplayer matches. Subsequently, expanded with Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Chaos Rising in March 2010, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution in March 2011, the latter saw the multiplayer platform move to Steamworks.

In early September 2011, Relic released its second cross platform console title, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine . It was released for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 6, 2011, in North America and September 9, 2011, in Europe. It features the Ultramarines chapter. Its gameplay focuses on a hybrid shooting and melee combat model.

In May 2012, Relic Entertainment announced it was developing the highly anticipated sequel Company of Heroes 2 for the PC platform, scheduled for release in early 2013. In this sequel the game moves the battle away from the Western Front of World War II and refocuses on the Eastern Front. [9]

In December 2012, during THQ bankruptcy filings, it was revealed that Relic Entertainment "is currently developing Company of Heroes 2 for a calendar year 2013 release and a new game with the working title Atlas for a release in calendar year 2014." [10] On January 23, 2013, it was revealed that THQ had sold Relic Entertainment to Sega for US$26.6 million as part of an auction of the company's properties. [11] Sega outbid ZeniMax Media by 300K. [12] The Homeworld franchise was sold to Gearbox Software at a separate auction in April 2013. [13]

In November 2015, Relic Entertainment and Sega relinquished the rights of Impossible Creatures to THQ Nordic after it was revealed that neither THQ nor Microsoft Studios owned the rights to the video game. [14] In May 2016, Relic Entertainment announced Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III , which was released for personal computers in 2017. [15]

On August 21, 2017, Microsoft announced that Relic will develop Age of Empires IV . [16]

On July 12, 2021, Relic Entertainment announced Company of Heroes 3 is coming to PC in late 2022. It was revealed the game is in pre-alpha stage and that they have "been co-developing the game with the community members for years now." [17]

Games

Awards

Related Research Articles

Games Workshop British maker of miniature wargames

Games Workshop Group is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000.

THQ Defunct American video game company

THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initially working in the toy business, it expanded into the video game business through several acquisitions before shifting its focus away from toys entirely. THQ continued its trend of acquiring companies throughout the 2000s.

<i>Homeworld 2</i> 2003 video game

Homeworld 2 is a real-time strategy video game sequel to Homeworld, developed by Relic Entertainment and released in 2003 by now defunct publisher Sierra Entertainment. Its story concerns Hiigara's response to a new enemy called the Vaygr. Its gameplay takes a new direction with the enhancement of its graphics and audio. In contrast to the closely equivalent Kushan and Taiidan forces of the original game, Vaygr and Hiigaran spaceships differ significantly in design and application.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War</i> 2004 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and based on Games Workshop's tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000. It was released by THQ on September 20, 2004 in North America and on September 24 in Europe. Three expansion packs have been released: Winter Assault in 2005, Dark Crusade in 2006, and Soulstorm in 2008. Its first sequel, Dawn of War II was released in February 2009. Another sequel, Dawn of War III, was released in April 2017.

Iron Lore Entertainment was a video game developer that was founded in October 2000 by Brian Sullivan and Paul Chieffo.

Gearbox Software American video game company

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<i>Company of Heroes</i> (video game) 2006 video game

Company of Heroes is a 2006 real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ for the Microsoft Windows and OS X operating systems. It is the first installment of the Company of Heroes series, and was the first title to make use of the Games for Windows label.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Winter Assault</i> 2005 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War – Winter Assault is the first expansion to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War for the PC developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. Based on Games Workshop's tabletop wargame, Warhammer 40,000, Dawn of War: Winter Assault was released on September 23, 2005. Some time after its initial release, Winter Assault and Dawn of War were coupled together in a double pack which featured some art on a fold out cover, an Ork with a flamethrower, or a group of Imperial Guard tanks lined up for attack. Though Winter Assault required the base game to play, its follow-up expansions, Dark Crusade and Soulstorm were stand-alone, not requiring the base game.

Relic Online

Relic Online was an online gaming system that Relic/THQ uses for matchmaking in some Relic Entertainment games, replacing its previous use of GameSpy Arcade and WON (Homeworld). Relic Online was developed by Relic/THQ and Quazal, and is completely separate from any GameSpy/WON systems. It has not been backported to older games such as Dawn of War and its expansions, but has appeared in Relic's Company of Heroes series of games. Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts introduced new features to Relic Online such as arranged team automatches, with the changes being patched into the previous Company of Heroes games as well. Relic Online was notably absent in Relic/THQ's Dawn of War II, however, which instead used a combination of Steam and Games for Windows – Live.

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Jason Rubin American video game director

Jason Rubin is an American video game director, writer, and comic book creator. He is best known for the Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series of games which were produced by Naughty Dog, the game development studio he co-founded with partner and childhood friend Andy Gavin in 1986. He was the president of THQ before its closure due to bankruptcy on January 23, 2013. Rubin is the vice president of Metaverse Content at Meta Platforms.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II</i> 2009 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is a real-time strategy-tactical role-playing video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ for Microsoft Windows based on the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. It is the sequel to the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War video game series. Dawn of War II was released in North America on February 19, 2009 and in Europe on February 20, 2009. A sequel, Dawn of War III, was released in April 2017.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine</i> 2011 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is a third-person shooter hack-n-slash video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by THQ. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 6, 2011, in North America and September 9, 2011, in Europe. The game takes place in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 universe and features the Ultramarines chapter. Its gameplay focuses on a hybrid shooting and melee combat model.

<i>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution</i> 2011 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Retribution is the stand-alone second expansion to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, part of the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series of real-time strategy video games. Set in Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe, the single player campaign is playable with multiple races.

<i>Company of Heroes 2</i> Real-time strategy video game

Company of Heroes 2 is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sega for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux. It is the sequel to the 2006 game Company of Heroes. As with the original Company of Heroes, the game is set in World War II but with the focus on the Eastern Front, with players primarily controlling the side of the Soviet Red Army during various stages of the Eastern Front, from Operation Barbarossa to the Battle of Berlin. Company of Heroes 2 runs on Relic Entertainment's proprietary Essence 3.0 game engine.

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<i>Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III</i> 2017 video game

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III is a 2017 real-time strategy game with multiplayer online battle arena influences, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sega. It is the third stand-alone title in the Dawn of War series, and the first new release in the series since Dawn of War II: Retribution in 2011. It was released for Microsoft Windows on April 27, 2017. On May 26, 2017, Feral Interactive announced that the Linux version would use both the OpenGL and Vulkan graphics APIs, while the macOS port would use Apple's Metal. The macOS and Linux versions were released on June 8, 2017.

Company of Heroes is a real-time strategy video game series developed by Relic Entertainment. The series is set during World War II.

References

  1. ↑ "Notice of SEGA's Acquisition of Relic Entertainment and some IPs owned by THQ Inc" (PDF). Sega Sammy Holdings. 2013-01-25. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  2. ↑ Lien, Tracy (2013-01-24). "Sega purchased THQ's Relic Entertainment to 'reinforce PC game development capabilities'". Polygon . Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  3. ↑ "The Final Boss". MCV . No. 942. Future Publishing. December 2018. p. 70.
  4. 1 2 Keefer, John (March 31, 2006). "GameSpy Retro: Developer Origins, Page 6 of 19". GameSpy . Archived from the original on June 9, 2007.
  5. ↑ Feldman, Curt (2004-08-11). "THQ discloses Relic purchase price". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  6. 1 2 "Notice of SEGA's Acquisition of Relic Entertainment and Some IPs Owned by THQ Inc". Sega. 2013-01-24. Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  7. ↑ Purchese, Rob (2007-11-06). "THQ does own Homeworld". Eurogamer . Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  8. ↑ Bowden, Mike (2008-11-03). "THQ announces Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor". VG247 . Archived from the original on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  9. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (2012-05-07). "Company of Heroes 2 confirmed for 'early 2013'". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
  10. ↑ Conditt, Jessica (2012-12-19). "Unannounced THQ games from Vigil, Turtle Rock, more in bankruptcy filing". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 2013-02-20. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  11. ↑ Goldfarb, Andrew (2013-01-23). "THQ Dissolved, Saints Row, Company of Heroes Devs Acquired". IGN . Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  12. ↑ Sarken, Samit (January 23, 2013). "Sega offers $26.6M for Relic Entertainment in THQ auction, ZeniMax bids $26.3M". Pplygon . Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  13. ↑ Orland, Kyle (2013-04-22). "Going once, going twice! Gearbox picks up Homeworld in THQ auction". Ars Technica . Archived from the original on 2013-04-23. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  14. ↑ Hillier, Brenna (2015-11-23). "The improbable journey of Impossible Creatures". VG247. Archived from the original on 2017-01-06. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
  15. ↑ Skrebels, Joe (2016-05-03). "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3 Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  16. ↑ Vincent, James (2017-08-22). "Microsoft announces Age of Empires IV". The Verge . Archived from the original on 2018-02-25. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
  17. ↑ Dowdeswell, Justin (13 July 2021). "Announcing Company of Heroes 3".
  18. ↑ "IGN.com The Best of 2006". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
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