GSC Game World officially announces development of Cossacks 3, following a hint late last year that a third installment in the real-time strategy series is in the works. They say this is due for release by the end of this year, explaining this will be a remake of the first Cossacks game, rather than a sequel. The Cossacks 3 website is online offering details, images, and discussion forums. Here's the announcement:

The Ukrainian studio GSC Game World announces the development of the third game of the Cossacks series !

“Over the years of its existence, GSC has been engaged in numerous fields, however making good games is what we do best. For this very purpose, we are resuming our activities”, said Evgeniy Grygorovych, head of the development studio. “Over the past year and a half, we have been secretly working on a new project, and now is the time to tell players all over the world about it.

Cossacks 3 is a modern remake of the best 2001 strategy, with armies numbering in thousands of warriors and reconciled game mechanics. It’s a genuine RTS classic, including construction and production of resources. A vast selection of unit types, cold steel and firearms, influence of the landscape, and the realistic physics provide the player with an unlimited number of tactical opportunities. In addition, thanks to modern graphics, the game will be interesting not only for admirers of the series, but for all genre connoisseurs who have never played the legendary Cossacks for some reason!

Game features:

• Breathtaking historical real-time strategy.
• Actions unfold in Europe in the XVII–XVIII centuries.
• Five historical singleplayer campaigns.
• 12 playable nations.
• Grandiose battles of up to 10,000 units on the map.
• Realistic physics of bullets and cannonballs.
• Considerable influence of the landscape on battle tactics.
• Infinite variations of battles with computer enemies on random maps.
• Flexible generator of random maps with selection of a preferable landscape.
• Windows, Mac OS and Linux support.

The release is scheduled for the 4th quarter of 2015.