Relic announced earlier today that they will be shutting down the open beta of Company of Heroes Online in March, saying that the end of the beta means the end of Company of Heroes Online.
Posting on the Company of Heroes Online site , Relic urges players on the beta to spend their COHO cash before the end of the beta, saying"we want to thank everyone for participating in the Company of Heroes Online Open Beta program. After an exciting period of operating and testing, we will be closing Open Beta on March 31, 2011 to evaluate the next steps for the Company of Heroes series. As of today, you can no longer purchase COHO Cash from the website, but you will be able to spend any purchased COHO Cash in the game until March 31, 2011. We will also honor any COHO Cash Card redemptions on the website until March 1, 2011."
Those participating in the beta will also receive a code that will let them buy Company of Heroes Gold edition for just $4.99. Relic have said that the original Company of Heroes will receive a balancing patch soon, which will apply a lot of fixes and balance changes made in Company of Heroes Online to Company of Heroes and its expansions, Opposing Front and Tales of Valour. For more information on the beta closure, check out Relic's FAQ .
A Relic developer posting on the Gamereplays forums confirmed that the end of the beta means the end of the Company of Heroes Online idea for Relic. The developer says "CoHO is closing. Shutting down. This isn't some kind of weird trick or marketing ploy where in three months we announce that it's back. This isn't New Coke," adding "We are not working on DoW:O."
It's a sad end to a promising game, but won't be the end for Company of Heroes. In the beta FAQ Relic say "we are still working on our plans for the Company of Heroes franchise and are not ready to discuss details yet."
