Keeping hold of Company of Heroes was essential for Relic to leave Sega, Relic CEO says – "Without it we would have been a dead studio"

Relic Entertainment's CEO Justin Dowdeswell says retaining the Company of Heroes franchise was critical to the studio's survival after its 2024 purchase from Sega by UK investment firm Emona Capita. "Without it we would have been a dead studio," Dowdeswell stated.

Dowdeswell explained that Relic needed both the ability to develop new games in the series and the ongoing revenue from back catalogue sales. He noted there are "numerous examples" of studios that failed to survive on reputation alone, though he did not name specific cases.

Relic has developed multiple franchises over nearly 30 years, including the RTS series Homeworld, Dawn of War, and Company of Heroes, as well as the third-person shooter The Outfit and the original Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.