Relic thought Company of Heroes 3's ambitious dynamic campaign would eventually come together, but it didn't: 'We bit off more than we could chew'
Relic admits its ambitious dynamic campaign for Company of Heroes 3 failed to meet expectations, citing overambition and insufficient polish at launch.
Company of Heroes 3’s dynamic Italian campaign was initially praised for its ambition and novel features, including controllable detachments and a Total War-like scale. However, player feedback led to the removal of detachments, and the campaign’s core dynamic mechanics underperformed, with fascist forces rarely engaging. Despite strong traditional campaign content, the game received an 82% review score and remains rated Mixed on Steam. Relic CEO Justin Dowdeswell acknowledged the project’s ambition exceeded the team’s capacity, resulting in launch issues and unmet polish standards.
Dowdeswell described the campaign’s development as a persistent ‘stumbling block’ that never resolved satisfactorily, despite early enthusiasm and community involvement. The studio had hoped to refine the system late in development, a common industry belief, but ultimately failed to deliver. The fallout left the team disappointed, prompting extensive postmortem discussions to identify and address top issues swiftly.
Relic attributed some challenges to early design decisions that became irreversible by the time feedback could be incorporated, leaving little room for course correction before launch. Community engagement, including input from content creators and competitive players, was deemed valuable but insufficient to prevent the campaign’s shortcomings. The studio now focuses on iterative improvements, with updates like Company of Heroes 3 2.0 and the upcoming 3.0 release adding free content and addressing player concerns.
Despite the setback, Relic remains committed to the Company of Heroes franchise, with plans for a remaster of the original game, Company of Heroes: Definitive Edition, due in 2027. The studio’s independence following its split from Sega has not deterred its dedication to refining and expanding the series, though the dynamic campaign’s struggles continue to reflect in player reviews.