Relic has been shaken down, both good and bad employees left the studio, the future results are hard to predict. People who ignored the community, implemented unwanted design decisions and wasted a ton of resources prototyping 2 W40k games should not be in charge of the next Relic game.
Highlights (positive because future games should improve):
• Mobile games producer who had a big role in shaping DoW3 left. Along him, his fitness coach wife who was, I kid you not, the community manager for DoW3. His next project failed, we are talking about no more than a few hundred of customers failure. He is now working at EA...
• 2 game directors left after launch.
• DoW brand manager left before launch.
Negative (because I don't feel that Relic can replace those people without drop in quality or productivity):
Principal Artist Ian Cumming - Left in this january- 15 yrs at relic
Lead Environment Artist Ian Guise - Left in this January - 13 yrs at relic
Lead Concept Artist David T. Cheong - Left this January - 20+ yrs at relic
Lead AI and Gameplay Engineer Anthony Bergelt - left studio in october 2017, about 9 yrs at relic
Important Generalist Programmer that make many thing for Essence - Michel Schmidt - left studio in october 2017 - 13 yrs at relic
Senior Core Gamepaly Designer - Damon Gauthier - left studio in August 2017 - 13 yrs at relic.
What is more, Essence engine must retain core programmers and tech artists, otherwise new employees will be overwhelmed and inexperienced with the unique and highly custom engine.
Damn, Cheong and Cumming left? Talk about bleeding essential talent