Founding and Homeworld (1997–2004) Relic was founded in May 1997 by Alex Garden, Luke Moloney, Erin Daly, Aaron Kambeitz, Rob Cunningham, Gary Shaw, and Shane Alfreds. The name of the company was chosen because they liked the name and it was easy to pronounce. 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. 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.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, a second, standalone expansion pack for
Dawn of War, was released on October 9, 2006. 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. 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. 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.
Acquisition by Sega (2013–2024) 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." On January 23, 2013, it was revealed that THQ had sold Relic Entertainment to
Sega for as part of an auction of the company's properties. Sega outbid
ZeniMax Media by $300,000. The
Homeworld franchise was sold to
Gearbox Software at a separate auction in April 2013. 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. In May 2016, Relic Entertainment announced
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War III, which was released for
personal computers in 2017. On August 21, 2017,
Microsoft announced that Relic will develop
Age of Empires IV. On July 12, 2021, Relic Entertainment announced
Company of Heroes 3 for PC to be released 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." On May 23, 2023, three months to the day after the release of
Company of Heroes 3, it was reported that Sega would be laying off more than 120 employees at Relic, blaming external factors negatively impacting the wider industry.
Split from Sega (2024–present) On March 28, 2024, Relic Entertainment announced that an external investor had assisted it in going independent. One week later, the studio laid off over 40 employees. == Technology ==