Just work on coh3, should be enough work on its own ^^
I agree, but we have to consider the timing of events over the past 3 years and Creative Assembly building a new RTS team for the console 2014-2017.
Halo Wars 2 is announced in mid-2015 and then "new CoH2 roadmap" is delayed almost a year in 2016 while being promised in early 2016;
http://www.companyofheroes.com/blog/2016/12/09/coh2-the-road-ahead
New Content (UGC)
Although we plan to continue releasing new in-game content in future updates, we will now be leveraging UGC such as vehicle skins and maps to help offer new gameplay experiences to the community. We hope that advances to COH2’s modding tools will also take place in the coming months, allowing additional forms of content to be created by the community as well - however this is still to be confirmed.
The CoH roadmap has not been updated since 2016. Now it's just radio silence and we don't get newsworthy info beyond the community balance patches.
Relic was planning to grow with AoE4 (early production starting in 2015) and DoW3 post-launch.
CoH3 was planned to be after AoE4..
On a smaller budget, I think they have something planned before CoH3.
If they want to expand the franchise before CoH3 that most likely means console port, mobile game or going FTP with the CoH2 base game (or bring back COH Online).
Relic Has the Scale and Support From Sega To Think About a Console Return
Interview with Relic studio head/GM, Justin Dowdeswell - April 12, 2017
https://www.dualshockers.com/relic-scale-and-support-from-sega-to-think-about-console-return/
As you may know, Relic has dabbed in console development before, for example, with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. But its been some time for the developer since it dabbled beyond the PC space, and according to Dowdeswell Relic is thinking about how can it craft an experience that makes sense on consoles.
Dowdeswell continues:
“Our ambition is to be a leading studio in this genre, and part of that will mean that we are branching out in the future. Would [console] fit with our existing franchises? I don’t know, referring to the gameplay side of it, but at the very high level our goal of reaching as many gamers as possible, allowing them to have as much fun as possible, we have to be thinking about other platforms.”
Dowdeswell goes on to say that the team not only has the scale within to expand to consoles but that it also has the support from Sega. But don’t just take my word on it, you can check out the quote for yourself below:
“We have the scale within Relic and we have the support from Sega to be thinking [expanding to consoles] about that.”
Company of Heroes dev reckons it's solved the RTS on console problem
But it's keeping its "plausible solution" secret - for now. - 02/06/2014
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-06-02-company-of-heroes-dev-reckons-its-solved-the-rts-on-console-problem
"There was always a talk of strategy games on console," Duffy said. "We were just like, 'oh my God, how do you do that?' We think we came up with a plausible solution, which I'm not going to talk about.
"There's some stuff that's been back burnered for years because we wanted to see how technology, the market, control and touch emerged. Hopefully we will be positioned to adapt to some of that."
*SNIP*
"The one thing we would love is to get the Relic experience on a console," Duffy enthused. "They can do great graphics and great sound. The things I love about Company of Heroes on the presentation side would translate, no problem. But the tactical squad control and cover, those would be harder to mechanically translate to a control pad.
"It's exciting. We've got an idea."
Talk of RTS on console came up as part of a discussion about the RTS genre in general, and whether there was still a potential for innovation when the core mechanics of RTS have remained the same for years.
"I think so," Duffy countered. It's just that the typical RTS audience have an... interesting relationship with change.
"You have a relatively, traditionally conservative audience of players who play strategy games," Duffy said.
"So if you want to innovate you have to do it with a plan and in steps. You have to introduce them bit by bit to something you want to ultimately get to. There's still lots of room to innovate. You just have to ease your community into it. And ease your developers. We're kind of old school ourselves."