'Any time we release a game - any time any company releases a game - you have to do a post mortem and look at, you know, how was it received? And what was the experience for players? 'That's absolutely part of it,' says executive producer David Littman. On the surface, it seems like a pretty direct reaction to what happened with Dawn of War 3. It's set to launch some time in 2022, but you can sign up to play an early slice of it from today, as part of a 'CoH-Development' plan that mirrors what other studios like Amplitude (also publishing through SEGA), have done with Humankind.

Relic's response has been to do more or less the exact opposite with CoH 3, placing a very heavy emphasis on player feedback. It crossed the traditional RTS fare with a very light sprinkling of MOBA elements, like more impactful character abilities and more defined 'lanes' to the maps, and, for better or worse, it wasn't really what fans were after. The studio has some cracking history with RTS games - alongside the lastingly popular Company of Heroes ones, the first two Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War games and their expansions are glorious, bigger-than-cult hits - but Dawn of War 3's reception in 2017 was mixed. Much of this is likely down to the approach Relic has taken this time around.

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