Relic pondering console Company of Heroes, 40K: Dawn of War

Console-owning fans of the Warhammer fantasy gaming franchise were given hope at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo by the developer of the massively multiplayer Warhammer Online game, Mythic Entertainment. The company revealed it had a version of the upcoming PC game running on the Xbox 360, but it didn't actually confirm that the game was headed to Microsoft's platform. But, with cash-flush Electronic Arts' recent purchase of Mythic, a console version seems more likely.

Now those who fancy the franchise's futuristic spin-off, Warhammer 40,000, can have a similarly noncommittal hope of seeing space marines and orcs doing battle on consoles. In an interview with trade site GamesIndustry.biz, Relic Entertainment general manager Ron Moravek addresses the possibility of bringing a pair of the company's real-time strategy games, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and the upcoming military-themed Company of Heroes, to new platforms.

"We're watching Lord of the Rings [Battle for Middle-earth II] going to 360 very closely," Moravek told the site, referencing the recent console port of another fantasy RTS game. "Because if it's successful, I think there's a good chance we could bring Company of Heroes and even Dawn of War over."

When asked about Relic's preference between the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, Moravek said he hadn't seen enough of the PS3 to form a preference, but he added that Relic will support them both.