Japanese publishing giant Sega is selling strategy specialist Relic Entertainment as part of yet another huge shakeup.

As reported by GI.biz, the company is also cutting another 240 roles across its European division. This is affecting the already-mauled Creative Assembly, Sega Europe and Hardlight.

It's not clear who Relic has been sold to for the time being – all we know is that it's an external investor – but the plan seems to be for the developer to become independent in the near future.

“Sega is working closely with Relic on this shift, and we wish them the best for the future,” newly-appointed Sega Europe boss Jurgen Post said.

“I want to sincerely apologise for the worry and understandable distress this news will cause, particularly for those directly affected. These decisions have been incredibly tough to make, and they follow meticulous consideration and deliberation with leadership teams across the business. Change is necessary to secure the future of our games business, and to ensure that we are well placed to deliver the best possible experiences to our players going forward.

“We need to streamline, focus on what we are good at, and position ourselves as best we can for the road ahead. In order to do that, we need to respond to the changing economic landscape and the challenges we’re facing in the way we develop our products and bring them to market.”

In a post on Twitter, Relic said that it was going to continue to support its existing titles, such as Company of Heroes 3.

"We want to thank Sega, whose support over the years and guidance during this transition haev been instrumental to our success," the studio continued. "We may be out of the Sega business, but we remain friends and colleagues."