Today THQ formally announced Company of Heroes 2 for an early 2013 release on the PC. They've also provided some additional details on the real-time strategy game, which was outed last week by a PC gaming mag.

CoH2 will return players to World War II. However, this game focused on the Eastern Front rather than the Western. Players take on the role of the Red Army and must stop Nazis from taking Moscow.

"Company of Heroes 2 is a true successor, introducing a new front, new protagonists and new technology while retaining the unique mix of strategic gameplay and competitive multiplayer that made the original Company of Heroes such a success," said Relic Entertainment producer Greg Wilson.

The new tech Wilson is referring to is Relic's proprietary Essence 3.0 Engine. The studio used version 1.0 for the first Company of Heroes. Essence 2.0 was utilized for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II and its expansions. Relic promises destructible environments as well as enhanced fidelity for the game's graphics. The first screenshot, below, should give you a taste of the game's tech capabilities.