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World of Tanks sets world record for most players concurrently online on a single server
Wargaming has made its mark in gaming history. World of Tanks has staked out a place as the Guinness World Record holder for most players logged onto an MMO server, with 190,541 players simultaneously logged in on one of the game's Russian servers. This blasts the game's previous record of 91,311 players to smithereens. Andrei Yarantsau, VP of Global Operations at Wargaming, calls this "an important and exciting milestone for the company," adding that, "if World of Tanks keeps growing at the rate it is, the game will soon top the current total and secure another world record." [Source: Wargaming press release]
Wargaming purchases Gas Powered Games
Struggling developer Gas Powered Games has been purchased by Wargaming, the developer and publisher of free-to-play games World of Warplanes and World of Tanks. This is the company's second US acquisition this year, purchasing formerly independent developer Day 1 Studios (Fracture, Fear 3) for $20 million, putting them to work on an "unannounced console title." The financial terms of the GPG acquisition were not disclosed."Gas Powered Games has a long track record of providing incredibly engaging AAA gaming experiences and we can't wait to start working with them," said Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi.Gas Powered Game canceled its Wildman Kickstarter on Monday. GPG CEO Chris Taylor, who will stay on board after the Wargaming purchase, said at the time, "At this point, it makes sense for us to focus our attention on other ways to keep Gas Powered Games running. Unfortunately, we are unable to share any specifics in public."We've reached out to Wargaming regarding its plans for the newly acquired Seattle-based developer.Update: Wargaming is not currently providing any information on its plans for GPG. In a statement provided to Joystiq, a company representative said, "Currently, Wargaming doesn't have any information to share other than that we're extremely excited to welcome Chris [Taylor] and his team to our family and look forward to sharing more about what they'll be working on at a later date."
Wargaming acquires Day 1 Studios for console development
Wargaming, developer of the MMOs World of Tanks and World of Warplanes, has acquired formerly independent developer Day 1 Studios for $20 million, putting the studio to work on an "unannounced console title."Before becoming Wargaming West, Day 1 Studios worked on the MechAssault games, Fracture, and Fear 3. While Wargaming has not specified its console plans other than to say they exist, the company's stock in trade is free-to-play, so a move into consoles very likely means the entry of another free-to-play game into the console world.
Hit List Q&A: Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi
In the "Hit List" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the video game industry's top talents describe their current gaming addictions, their most anticipated releases and more. This week: Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi. Outspoken entrepreneur, passionate video game developer, and the Person of the Year 2012 according to GamesIndustry International, Victor Kislyi is the man behind the blockbuster World of Tanks, the Massive Assault Series, and the upcoming World of Warplanes and World of Warships action MMO games.In 1998, Victor established Wargaming, eventually leading the company from its strategy gaming roots to its current position as a leading global interactive entertainment conglomerate with over 1,300 employees and 11 offices in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Victor leads the team, setting design philosophy and strategy and boosting the company with his experience and enthusiasm. Under his expert care Wargaming is now working on four MMO games and building the Wargaming.net service - the epicenter of a battle-driven gaming universe that would unite all company's projects under a single multiplayer ecosystem.At his forthcoming 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit session, Victor will speak on "The Evolution of Free-To-Play: From Tanks To Beyond." Without growth there is only stagnation. While "free-to play" has taken the gaming industry by storm, it's becoming more and more apparent that an evolution of the business model is necessary in order to truly adapt to the needs of gamers and consumers. He will walk D.I.C.E. attendees through his vision of the free-to-play market as it stands today, as well as his thoughts and ideas on how it must grow in the future in order to remain viable.
Wargaming.net video summarizes 2012
2012 is almost be over, and it has been a good year according to Wargaming.net, the studio behind the WWII-inspired MMO World of Tanks. WoT has grown to over 45 million players worldwide and garnered several awards, including best MMO of the year from Golden Joystick. But that isn't all; development continues to roll forward on the two company's two upcoming titles, World of Warplanes and World of Warships. Wishing everyone a happy holidays, the studio released a video montage highlighting the year's accomplishments as well as the developers behind the games. Interspersed throughout are clips of in-game footage from all three titles. Want to see just what kind of shenanigans go on at the Wargaming offices? Check out the video after the break.
World of Warships classes, game modes hinted at in new dev blog
World of Warships information has been in short supply in the months since the title's official announcement. Fortunately there's Overlord's blog, which serves as a platform for various Wargaming.net personalities to share their insights regarding the firm's World War II action titles. Today's entry is a WoWS FAQ of sorts, and it contains a bevy of basic info on everything from ship classes (Battleships, Aircraft Carriers, Cruisers, and Destroyers) to maneuvering to game modes. As for initial alpha testing, Wargaming says to "expect Spring or even Summer 2013."
World of Tanks rolls out improved physics and lighting
World of Tanks is getting a little bit shinier and a lot more realistic today. The game's new Update 8.0 includes an overhaul of the physics and lighting of the game. Wargaming is calling this the "most important upgrade since the game's release." In addition to more realistic physics and improved lighting, Update 8.0 is bringing in new optimization for the UI, better rendering, adaptive camouflage, and new minimap functions. Four new tank destroyers are gracing the branches of the USSR tech tree, and the Matilda Black Prince, the first premium British machine, is available for purchase in the in-game shop. Skip below the cut to see how the new physics engine will change your gameplay. [Source: Wargaming press release]
French tanks rumble into World of Tanks looking for payback
Wargaming.net is allowing players to participate in a little revisionist history by unleashing French designs into World of Tanks. Will the Germans finally get what's coming to them, or will the Panzers dominate as they did back in the 40s? With today's Update 7.1, the French have arrived in the game with several new tanks available for players to drive. Light, medium, and heavy versions of French armor will present a new twist on the established gameplay, with choices like the AMX 13-90, AMX 40, AMX 50 B and Lorraine 40t that feature automatic loading systems and oscillating turrets. Later this year Wargaming.net will add French tank destroyers and SPGs as well. Lead Game Designer Mike Zhivets believes this will present a unique challenge for players who think they have it all figured out: "Our players already know how to play with the 'big three' tank nations, but the French are all-different. You'll have to reconsider the way you think tanks behave before they let you tame them. And that's what we love them for!" You can scope out these French beauties in the gallery below. [Source: Wargaming.net press release] %Gallery-96260%
World of Tanks tops its own Guinness World Record
If your hard-won Guinness World Record has to be beaten one day, it's best that you do it yourself. That seems like Wargaming.net's philosophy, as the studio just announced that it's already broken World of Tanks' previously established record for Most Players Online Simultaneously on One MMO Server. 250,000 players crammed onto the game's Russian server simultaneously in November, far outstripping the title's earlier achievement of 91,311. CEO Victor Kislyi said that its upcoming technology and software upgrades will enable World of Tanks to do even better: "We are more than happy to watch our World of Tanks win over hearts and minds of gamers all around the world. The multicluster technology will enable us to move steadily towards new milestones and records." We recently gave World of Tanks a close look in our Firing Line column. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks dishes up Tanksgiving and the Update 7.0 trailer
Trust us on this: Never before has the word "fjords" been issued with such goosebump-raising intensity. But such is the World of Tanks and its passionate love for geography and the many, many ways that it can be blown to smithereens. Wargaming.net is pumping up the hype for Update 7.0 with a new trailer showing off the famous Fjords map, the new camouflage feature, and (of course) massive tank battles. Update 7.0 is currently in public testing for release in the near future. This week also will see "Tanksgiving" coming to the game on November 24th. During Tanksgiving -- November 24th through the 28th -- select tanks will receive double credits during matches. Wargaming.net promises even more to come with the event, but the studio is keeping its cards tight against its chest until the event arrives. You can watch the Update 7.0 trailer after the jump!
The Daily Grind: What 'world of' game do you want to see next?
Wargaming.net is known to gamers for its popular World of Tanks MMO, in which players play... well, tanks. And thanks to WoT's success, the company has embarked on an ambitious plan to launch World of Warplanes and World of Battleships too. I think you know where I'm going with this. World of Dirigibles? World of Tractors? World of Hoverboards? World of Dunebuggies? World of Post-Apocalyptic Volkswagen Beetles With Chainguns Mounted On Their Hoods? Let's give the folks at Wargaming.net some helpful advice. What vehicle should they feature for their next "World of" game? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Wargaming.net honoring U.S. Veterans on Veterans Day
Tomorrow, Americans will be celebrating Veterans Day and honoring the service of our armed forces. Wargaming.net has announced that it will be joining the celebrations by donating proceeds from World of Tanks gold bundles to the Paralyzed Veterans of America organization. For every $14.95 gold bundle purchased, Wargaming.net will donate $5, and for every $49.95 gold bundle purchased, it will donate $15. So if you want to support war veterans while blowing some tanks to kingdom come, head on over to World of Tanks and join the fight. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks mirrors history with Battle for the Dnieper special event
Wargaming.net has long touted World of Tanks' historical accuracy when it comes to its tanks' designs and specs. The studio very clearly knows its history, as evidenced by the forthcoming Battle for the Dnieper event. The event, which commemorates a massive World War II battle involving nearly four million people, brings players a couple of opportunities. For starters, from August 25th to 26th, all profit gained by players using the Hummel, SU-8, and M41 SPGs will be doubled. Players will also be able to rename tanks and purchase new ones at highly discounted prices. Topping off the event is the Call of Heroes contest, which challenges players to see who can acquire the highest number of achievements before the end of the contest on August 29th. So what are you waiting for, soldier? Get out there and show everyone else who the real hero is.
World of Tanks crowned Best European Online Game
Wargaming.net is now the proud owner of yet another award for its action-based MMO World of Tanks. This time around, the award in question is the title of Best European Online Game from the European Games Awards. Other nominees for the award included EVE Online: Incursion, Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword, and Runes of Magic's Lands of Despair. The European Games Awards is a nascent organization, having only awarded its first honors last year. Nonetheless, it is considered "the top award for European video and computer game developers." Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi said of the accomplishment, "It has been hard and rewarding to develop and publish World of Tanks and it adds merit to our work by winning this award. We want to thank the players for enjoying our game and the game industry for the recognition in our hard work."
Wargaming.net's World of Warplanes to share currency with World of Tanks
Whether you feel more comfortable on the ground or in the skies, Wargaming.net has you covered. The studio announced today some new details on the economic system for its upcoming title World of Warplanes. According to the press release, it will follow the model of its predecessor World of Tanks with gold, credits, and experience as the primary forms of currency. With the addition of World of Warplanes to its stable, however, Wargaming.net plans to allow "global interaction" between the two titles. This means, in case you couldn't guess, that all of those different forms of currency will be shared between the two games. This, in turn, means that any player that has racked up an obscene amount of gold/credits/experience in World of Tanks can put their excess currencies toward their advancement in World of Warplanes. If you want to get a jump on the competition before World of Warplanes' launch, you can sign up for World of Tanks at the official site.
World of Tanks invades LA in new videos
Get out of the way! Tanks are invading Los Angeles? Wait, what? That was at E3? Oh, OK. Well then, I suppose you're safe... for now! That's right, those wacky cads over at Wargaming.net took the opportunity during E3 to invade LA with some very large, very real tanks. In case you weren't at E3 to see the madness first-hand (the team even brought a tank into the convention center to guard its booth), the team was kind enough to post a few videos outlining the (completely and utterly insane) task of invading Los Angeles with three different kinds of tanks. Having chronicled World of Tanks' ongoing plans for world domination at E3, we can think of no better way to celebrate but to bring out some real heavy artillery. So strap on your helmets and Kevlar and army-crawl past the cut for some tanks-on-the-road madness.
World of Tanks coming to real-world Tankfest event
It's not often that an MMO intersects with history, and it's even rarer when it does so with enough authenticity to merit inclusion in real-world historical celebrations. World of Tanks has done just that, and thanks to a new press release from Wargaming.net, we've got word that the dev team will be participating in Tankfest 2011, an annual military history event. Tankfest takes place at the Bovington Tank Museum in Britain on June 25th and 26th, and Wargaming.net will be on hand to demonstrate "one of the largest virtual examples of WWII-era steel armor." World of Tanks officially launched on April 12th after an extensive beta period, and the game recently released new maps and the meta Ultimate Conquest mode.
World of Tanks wins Best Game of GDC Russia 2011
Wargaming.net announced today that its free-to-play MMO World of Tanks has taken both the Best Game of 2011 and Audience Awards at GDC Russia 2011. In addition, Wargaming.net itself took home the Games Industry Award. Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi attributes the game's success to taking time to "make sure that we were putting out a top quality game," and if the three awards the studio is taking home from GDC are any indication, the team has done just that. World of Tanks itself -- for those who couldn't tell from the title -- is an MMO action game in which players take control of a variety of historically authentic World War II-era tanks in battles of up to 30 players. As players destroy their enemies, they earn the ability to develop their tanks with any number of upgrades, allowing them to customize their killing machines to suit their playstyles. If you'd like to see first-hand what World of Tanks has done to earn these awards, jump into the driver's seat over at the official site.
World of Tanks trailer shows off two new maps
All's been fairly quiet on the World of Tanks front since the free-to-play World War II action MMO went live last April. Today, Wargaming.net has released a new video heralding the upcoming 0.6.4 game update. The setup is a series of idyllic scenery shots that look to be taken directly from the picturesque landscape of any number of fantasy MMOs. The tranquility doesn't last for long, though, as various tank squads are shown rolling through the countryside and shelling their enemies with abandon. This particular video exists to show off the two new maps coming in the 0.6.4 patch, and despite a relatively short running time (1:30), it does a darn fine job. The Mountain Pass and Prairies regions are vast and rather beautiful -- and a stark contrast to the scarred steel of the player-controlled tanks using the landscape for cover. Check out all the details after break, and be sure to head to the official World of Tanks website to read the 0.6.4 patch notes.
U.S. Navy fights piracy with MMOs
The U.S. Navy has a new tool in its war against piracy on the high seas: MMOs. Specifically, the Massive Multiplayer Online WarGame Leveraging the Internet, or "MMOWGLI" if you like your awkward acronyms. Developed over several years to bring war simulations to the next level, MMOWGLI will go online May 16th and be used by civilians and military to figure out new ways to combat Somali pirates. This unique MMO was developed by the Office of Naval Research to be used as a flexible training platform. Under the watch of a control team, players will secure and arm ships, plan for a variety of pirate attacks, figure out hostage situations, and raid pirate camps. There's no word on whether these raids will be 10, 20, or 40-mans. ONR's Dr. Larry Schutte looks forward to seeing if this simulator will result in better preparedness: "We hope MMOWGLI will help us to understand what happens when your insights are combined with the observations and actions of another player -- will that fusion result in a game-changing idea or solution, or will the MMOWGLI platform teach us something about our traditional thought processes?"
