Game publisher THQ and Chinese gaming firm Shanda have forged an alliance to bring an online-only version of the hit RTS title, Company of Heroes, to Mainland China, sharing responsibilities and benefits in the process.

The game is currently under development by the Relic team and is set to contain the same World War II action that the original showed off. Details have not yet been released as to how subscription will work out.

Company of Heroes was released on the PC in the United States in September of last year. A new stand-alone title distinct from the original and online version is also in the works.

Brian Farrell, THQ's CEO and President said in a press release "this new deal is a significant milestone for THQ as it supports two significant growth drivers for the company - building our product offering across Asia and expanding into new digital revenue streams."

Tranquiao Chen, Shanda's CEO, said that he expects the partnership to prosper as China is known to be a big PC gaming and online gaming country. The genres and platforms have proven successful with other games and the two firms hope to capitalize on the opportunity.