It's back! Yeah, talk abut a very pleasant mid-week surprise -- Company of Heroes 3 is happening and Relic is back at the helm with a PC release due sometime in 2022. Not only that, but there's a Pre-Alpha Preview you can access right now (via signing up to a CoH-Development program). Oh, and there's details on the new Mediterranean setting - and a cinematic and gameplay trailer combo.

Yeah, this is how you announce a game.

Company of Heroes 3 is bringing the series' intimate boots-on-the-ground storytelling to a brand-new theatre of war, unlocking authentic new tactics, factions, and a wealth of untold stories from World War II. The Mediterranean is a place of immense variety, from windswept Italian mountain passes to harsh North African deserts and coastal vistas. On this new frontline, intelligence trumps speed.

In Company of Heroes 3, the critically acclaimed Company of Heroes gameplay has been enhanced with authentic new features, making for the deepest tactical experience to date – all powered by the Essence Engine 5, the latest evolution of Relic's proprietary real-time strategy technology. On the Dynamic Campaign Map, players command ground, air and naval forces and build supply lines as they lead the Allies' campaign to retake mainland Italy from the entrenched Axis forces. The long-term choices you make here will affect not only the battles you fight, but the story of the war itself.

And here's the gameplay.



Yeah it looks awesome, and in addition to retaining that very cool Company of Heroes RTS feel, the single-player modes will introduce a new Full Tactical Pause option. Which takes the RT out of RTS in that it pauses the action allowing you to co-ordinate all of your actions at the same time. This is an interesting addition as it removes the barrier for having to be super-speedy in issuing commands in a dynamic battlefield.

With Relic at the helm of this and Age of Empires IV the studio is basically the RTS developer, pushing the genre forward whilst developing new entries in some of the genre's all-time greats.

And yeah, as per the intro be sure to head to the official site to sign-up to the CoH-Development program to gain access to a Pre-Alpha Preview build on Steam -- which will be available to play until August 3.