Relic Entertainment, known for its successful franchises like Company of Heroes and Dawn of War or the recent Ages of Empires IV, has announced the development of a new real-time strategy video game titled Earth vs Mars, which will be released under its Relic Labs label. This project focuses on a more indie style and aims to explore new subgenres and encourage experimentation, with the goal of publishing titles more frequently.
The game features a campy narrative, where Earth is invaded by Martians who deploy advanced technology, including flying saucers and floating tanks. L humanity’s only hope lies in the ‘Splice-O-Tron’, a device that allows human leaders to create supersoldiers by combining “volunteers” with terrestrial animals, giving rise to intriguing units like the fly-cheetah and the cow-squirrel infantry. As the campaign progresses, the Martians will also deploy their own mutant creatures.
A smaller game, but really complete
Earth vs Mars will feature a single-player campaign mode with over 30 missions, as well as online multiplayer modes, a versus mode, and a map editor that will allow players to create custom scenarios. This diversity in game modes aims to attract both genre fans and new players.
The announcement of Earth vs Mars comes at a complicated time for Relic, which has faced layoffs of over 150 employees and the sale by Sega. Now under the ownership of Emona Capital LLC, the studio aims to return to its roots as an independent creative firm. The release date is expected for the summer of 2024, initially only for PC, although there are possibilities that it will come to other platforms, depending on the reception it receives.
