It looks like Relic are counting down to a new Company of Heroes game

Relic’s resilient RTS series Company of Heroes looks like it’s getting a new game, or at the very least a new expansion. The developer’s Twitch channel has kicked off a 24-hour countdown, showing off a map centered on Italy, with a large slice of North Africa and Albania on either side. Overnight it has slowly zoomed in on Italy. We’re probably a few hours away from Company of Heroes 3, set in Italy.

The announcement is counting down to a 10am PST / 1pm ET / 6pm BST reveal today, and you can watch it right here with us later on.

The stream is full of gunfire and the sound of bombing runs, punctuated by newsreel footage reporting on various WW2 conflicts in the area. I’ve watched a couple of news stories about both Tobruk and Tunis, areas around the edge of the displayed map, and one about Italy being invaded popped up as I was writing this. That's all I can do as I can’t work with it playing. Apparently the constant sound of gunfire is unsettling. Who knew?

There’s not a lot else to go on, but an absence of facts is still telling. Italy and Italian forces have never officially appeared in a Company Of Heroes game. Adding a whole new map area to an older game probably rules this out as a mere update, though Company of Heroes 2 did receive an engine upgrade earlier this year, and it’s never been shy about adding DLC. I’m hedging my bets, but I hope there’s more to this than just an add-on.

We'll know soon enough, though, so feel free to fantasise in the comments.