The Company of Heroes Online Website announces that Relic will be shutting down this online installment in their World War II real-time strategy series on March 31, 2011. As of today they are no longer selling COHO Cash, and they urge players who have purchased any to spend it in-game before the game's closure, as their COHO Beta Closure FAQ notes that they will not be offering any refunds, referring to their policy that refunds are at their "sole and absolute discretion," which they are obviously not exercising here. Company of Heroes Online entered open beta testing exactly six months ago, where it has remained ever since, and in spite of them describing its run as "several very successful months," their answer to the question of whether they plan to launch a full version of COHO sounds pessimistic: "We are still working on our plans for the Company of Heroes franchise and are not ready to discuss details yet. We will be leveraging all the data and feedback the Company of Heroes Online Beta generated."

They offer beta participants their thanks as well as a code to purchase a copy of Company of Heroes Gold Edition from the THQ online store for $4.99 USD, noting that an upcoming patch will bring multiplayer improvements from COHO to the original Company of Heroes game and expansions. This forum offers Company of Heroes beta patch notes, and they say to stay tuned for a release date for a new patch. In an interview last November, producer Greg Wilson discussed a steep learning curve as an obstacle to new players trying to get started in Company of Heroes Online. Thanks Nathan.