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World of Tanks' 9.0 out this week, includes Historical Battles
Wargaming has released World of Tanks' ninth iteration, complete with redesigned battlefields and vehicles and a new game mode called Historical Battles. "With a focus on competitive balance and exciting gameplay, combat locations including Severogorsk, Pearl River, Malinovka, and Serene Coast have all received an overhaul," Wargaming says. The firm has also revamped many of the game's vehicles with new high-resolution models and textures. Finally, the new Historical Battle mode aims to recreate famous tank engagements and simultaneously fill your garage with credits and XP. Don't forget to watch the Update 9.0 trailer after the break.
World of Tanks Xbox 360 gets Update 1.1
World of Tanks' console drivers have a reason to rejoice: Update 1.1 has arrived for the Xbox 360. The update has a slew of goodies for players to dig through, including recruitable crews for tanks, the map of Himmelsdorf, and five British vehicles. Crews earn experience through battles, level up, and add perks and abilities to the tank commander. We've got the new trailer for World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition and its 1.1 update after the break.
World of Tanks makes more per user than LoL, GW2, and everyone else
Wargaming's tank-based lobby battler generated more revenue per user than League of Legends and Dota 2 over the past 12 months. In fact, World of Tanks generated more ARPU than any other major F2P title, according to Superdata. "There's World of Tanks, which has a monthly active user base of around 9.1 million and makes $4.51 per month per user. And there's League of Legends, with 58.5 million average monthly actives over the past twelve months, and a $1.32 spend per user. Five times the audience, but less than [a] third of the earnings per player," Superdata says. After WoT, the top five includes Team Fortress 2, Guild Wars 2, War Thunder, and PlanetSide 2.
World of Tanks shows off new game modes for 2014
World of Tanks continues rolling along and updating, and it has some big features on deck for 2014. The latest video development diary shows off some of the new game modes which will be coming to the game in the near future, starting with Fortifications. The Fortification system allows clans to build structures and collect bonuses while at the same time defending their fortifications against other clans. The result is a complex interplay of new elements like pillboxes and aerial strikes that give both sides the tools to take fortified structures or defend them as needed. That's not the least of the additions being made, however, as Historical Battles are also incoming. While this game mode has been in discussion for a long time, due to massive differences in tank capabilities, it's been tricky to create battles with an equal chance of victory for both sides. The solution is asymmetrical team composition, a rebalancing of stats for this specific game mode, and respawning lighter support tanks. Take a look at the video past the cut for a more in-depth examination of these changes. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks crowns new e-sports world champion
In the ultimate showdown between hulking metal death machines, World of Tanks has crowned one victorous team that emerged triumphant over the battlefield. Wargaming announced today that team Na'Vi won the world championship in the grand finals of its e-sports league. The new champions will take home $110,000 in prize money, with the runner-ups Virtus.Pro and The RED Rush: Unity receiving $100,000 and $40,000, respectively. The Wargaming.net League World Championship took place in Warsaw, Poland, as 14 teams battled over three days for the top spot. According to the studio, "millions" tuned in to watch the grand finals on Twitch. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Wargaming earmarks $10m for e-sports, WoT up to 80m registered players
Wargaming CEO Victor Kislyi recently announced that the developer behind World of Tanks and World of Warplanes will invest $10 million into its burgeoning e-sports business. Kislyi said that 30,000 pro players fought in 120 WoT tourneys in 2012 while in 2013 those numbers rose to 200,000 players and 1,000 tournaments. "With our e-sports team we founded a company within the company," Kislyi said. "They take care not only about game features to cater to spectators, but also about the physical organization of the tournaments." Kislyi also explained that the e-sports initiative was driven by player requests rather than Wargaming desires. Finally, Kislyi said that World of Tanks now boasts 80 million registered players.
World of Tanks unveils new 7v7 combat mode
Wargaming.net has just announced a brand-new combat mode for its tank-flavored MMO World of Tanks. The mode is a 7v7 random battles mode called Labyrinth. David Bowie is not included, but a new vehicle is: The only vehicle available in the upcoming mode will be the German self-propelled gun Karl-Gerät that will be added with Update 1.04 as well. Tankers will also get an original battle arena, developed specially for Labyrinth, as well as a new medal, awarded for exceptional performance in the new mode. The translated version of the latest WoT developer diary discusses the new combat mode in depth; we've got it embedded below. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks to become better-looking than ever before in 2014
World of Tanks is poised to get a major graphics upgrade this year, and the devs want to show you a preview of the changes. Hopefully you're cool with that. Wargaming promises that the look of the game will become clearer, more realistic, and more detailed when the changes go into place. The team is utilizing advanced texture mapping and new material models to provide a higher level of visual fidelity than previously present. One of the big improvements is a giant leap in the polygon count for each tank, going from 8K-18K per vehicle currently to 50K-100K in the future. For more on this beautification process, check out the video after the jump!
Here's how you can play World of Tanks Blitz on your iOS device
It's been nearly a year since Wargaming announced World of Tanks Blitz, its 7-on-7 mobile title inspired by World of Tanks and said to "rival anything on a console." The firm has officially announced that WoTB's closed beta will commence once it "roll[s] out the server infrastructure and accumulate[s] enough beta applications." That's where you come in, because Wargaming has also published beta application links for both Europe and North America.
World of Tanks adds limited-time campaign for Xbox 360 players
Beginning March 18th through the 24th, World of Tanks will offer a brand new campaign that's only available for a limited time to players of the game's Xbox 360 version. Map Madness allows players to combine forces to cumulatively reach a tank destruction quota used to unlock three possible maps. The urban Lakeville map will be unlocked when 10 million cumulative tanks are destroyed, desert-based El Halluf is at 25 million, and the classic Prokhorovka that should be familiar to PC players is at 40 million. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks video shows off destructible physics, World of Warplanes update coming March 6
Wargaming has released an eight-minute look at its physics upgrades for multiplayer battler World of Tanks. If that doesn't pique your interest, how does a Sigmund Freud reference grab you? The video's got one of those, and it leads into a destructibles discussion that's centered around the latest upgrades. Tank pilots can now punch through houses and watch them fall apart in real-time, and brick walls will even crack along the brickwork joints. In other Wargaming news, World of Warplanes' 1.2 update is now live in Russia, with a western release scheduled for March 6th. Changes include an overhauled post-battle screen with detailed combat stats, built-in recording capabilities, and a new matchmaker system that should allow rookies to improve without competing against veteran pilots. The WoWP press release and the WoT video are viewable after the break!
Get down with free World of Tanks and World of Warplanes soundtracks
Music sets the mood, and now you can get in a World of Tanks or World of Warplanes mood wherever and whenever you want. Wargaming.net has released the original soundtrack for both games, and fans can download a free copy for their favorite devices from the official sites, Google Music, or the iTunes store. To grab yours and start jamming out, visit one of the following links: For WoT: North American official site European official site Google Music iTunes store For WoWP: North American official site European official site Google Music iTunes store [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks trailer heralds new dev diary series highlighting fundamental improvements
"It will be a truly transformative year for [World of Tanks]." -- Mike Zhivets, producer. If you are a WoT fan, get ready for a big year: 2014 is slated to bring fundamental improvements to the game. With the release of today's trailer, Wargaming has announced a new series of developer diaries that will reveal the plans for major changes coming throughout the year. Of these changes, Zhivets said: "Enhancements planned for 2014 touch upon the very core of World of Tanks, and each of them will overhaul the look and feel of the title, inducing the tank combat experience we deliver with a whole new level of realism and immersion." These plans include technical enhancements (such as a highly responsive gaming environment, dynamic suspension, blown-off turrets, and damageable small parts), a graphics renderer revamp (that adds more realistic details to vehicles), and a new meta game functionality (Fortified Areas). Additionally, the oft-requested Historical Battles will make an appearance. Each new feature will be described in detail in a dev diary series throughout the year. But to get a taste of what's coming, watch the introductory trailer below. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks launches worldwide on the Xbox 360
Are you ready to blow up tanks on your Xbox 360? Probably; there have been roughly two million games released for the console based almost entirely around blowing up tanks. But are you ready to do so in World of Tanks? Because the game has launched on the console worldwide, complete with special Founder's Packs. The packs contain tanks, currency, ammo, and crews, but will be available for purchase only until February 28th. Before you run downstairs to fire up your console, keep in mind that you won't be able to play the game for free; an Xbox Live Gold subscription is required for continued play. All Xbox Live accounts do get a free trial of the game for seven days, however, so you can decide if it's worth subscribing to the service. You can also take a look at the gallery below to get a glance at what the game will look like on the TV. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks patch pits nation vs. nation
World of Tanks is rumbling for a tumbling with Update 8.11 this week. The patch, which is being rolled out worldwide over the course of the week, has a new "experimental" mode that throws nations against each other. The Confrontation mode groups vehicles from a specific nation against similarly tiered vehicles from another nation to see who ends up the victor. Wargaming was quick to point out that it had yet to balance this mode and that Japanese and Chinese vehicles are not available in these fights. There's more to Update 8.11 than the Confrontation mode, however. The team's added Windstorm, a new European winter-themed battle arena, and revamped the Ruinberg and Himmelsdorf maps. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks rolls onto Xbox 360 February 12th
Grab your controllers tank drivers, World of Tanks: XBox 360 Edition will launch globally next week on February 12th. Players who currently have an Xbox Live Gold account can download and play the game for free; Xbox Live account holders will get a seven-day timed trial to the game. Developed by Wargaming West (formerly Day 1 Studios), the game will start off with over 100 tanks from the US, Germany, and the UK, and features revamped controls for the console as well as a new user interface. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks lets you roll out national forces in a new game mode
Have you ever rolled around in World of Tanks and thought that it was fun, but what you really wanted was to be rolling your Soviet tank alongside a group of fellow Soviet tanks? Then you'll be happy to know that the game's newest update is letting you do precisely that. A new game mode is being added in which tanks will be grouped up with other tanks from the same nation, allowing you to replicate the feel of British tanks moving into battle against American tanks in World War II! Wait. Something's wrong with that idea. Aside from this new mode, dubbed Confrontation, the update will also add in a new map and revamped "winter" versions of two existing maps, giving players even more battlefields to roll across whilst spreading destruction. You can check out screenshots for the update in the slideshow just below. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks sets new concurrency record of 1.1 million tanks tanking
Wargaming.net's World of Tanks has again broken its own world record for player concurrency, hosting 1.1 million players simultaneously on the game's Russian cluster. This new total handily defeats the previously reported record of 190,541 online players set in March of 2013, though Wargaming.net did note in its press release that average concurrency has been hovering near the 900,000 mark "for the past few months." According to the studio, which now boasts offices in Chicago, Baltimore, Seattle, Austin, Paris, Kiev, Tokyo, and more, World of Tanks has over 75 million players. The press release was not specific on whether these are active players or simply registered accounts. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Tanks update brings Japanese armor
Wargaming.net today announced the launch of World of Tanks update 8.10. North American and European World of Tanks players can now access the brand-new Japanese tech tree, which includes 14 tanks spread across the game's several tank-types and tiers. The Soviet tech tree has also seen two additions in the form of the Object 430 and Object 430 Variant II medium tanks. A Japanese-themed map has been added as well, complete with cherry blossoms. Check out the 8.10 launch trailer after the break. [Source: Wargaming press release]
The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs
Let's play a game. I'm thinking of an MMO that features magic, monsters, humans, and a vast fantasy world full of steamy swamps, grassy plains, and deep, dark dungeons -- can you tell me which MMO it is? If you answered RIFT, you're right. You're also right if you answered TERA. Or World of Warcraft. Or Guild Wars 2. Or Neverwinter. Or... you get the idea. We're people who play MMOs. Our hard drives are practically bulging with games featuring wizards and warriors. We've plunged our swords into millions of orcs and gnolls. We've looted more imaginary copper pieces than anyone could possible imagine. We've even slain so many dragons that you have to wonder why dragons even bother showing up anymore. It's not the gameplay but the setting that can make the whole exercise so soul-crushingly boring.
