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‘World of Tanks’ adds single-player campaigns on August 22nd
The multi-player competitive game World of Tanks is getting its first single-player campaign mode next week. On August 22nd, Wargaming will release War Stories -- episodic gameplay that users can experience both solo or cooperatively. "As the first campaign series in the World of Tanks universe, War Stories allows us to bring a new narrative to the game and expand on our multiplayer experience with engaging single-player and online Co-op content for our new and longtime tankers," said TJ Wagner, Wargaming creative director, in a statement.
Game streamer Hitbox takes on Twitch with 4K eSports broadcasts
Pop quiz hotshot: Name a game broadcasting service that isn't Twitch, YouTube Gaming or MLG.tv. Give up? You're forgiven. Vienna-based Hitbox.tv is relatively new to the space and its looking to make a name for itself by offering features that the competition doesn't. Like streaming eSports events in 4K at 60FPS starting this fall, for instance. As Twitch expands into more and more non-gaming avenues, Hitbox thinks it can serve the core crowd that might feel alienated by those moves. The Austrian company has picked up some new investments recently -- most notably from the folks behind World of Tanks, Wargaming. A canned statement from the latter says that forthcoming games will "integrate game data" into broadcasts and that it should be pretty easy to do so. Hitbox also offers a wide-open revenue split system that every broadcaster has access to, rather than Twitch's curated Partner program highlighting its top broadcasters.
Release dates roll in for World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition
I see tanks of green, Red tanks too. I see them boom for me and you. And I think to myself What a wonderful World of Tanks. In related news, Wargaming.net's World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition hits retail on August 12 in North and South America, August 14 in the Asia-Pacific region, and August 29 in Europe. The "Combat Ready Starter Pack," as it's subtitled, is priced $20/£16 and it comes with extras detailed here, including a Panzer 38H Tier 2 German light tank. Must be a big box.
E3 2014: Hands-on with World of Warships and World of Tanks Blitz
If Wargaming.net is known for one thing, it's for being big. Nowhere is that more evident than E3, where displays for games like World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, and World of Warships typically dominate the show floor. Naturally this year's big reveal is the new Warships title. Although it's the third World of vehicles battler, gamers who haven't played the previous two won't be at a disadvantage. That said, it's the hands-on with World of Tanks iOS version that really got my attention.
World of Tanks getting Xbox 360 retail release in August
Wargaming.net announced the console version of its popular free-to-play tank combat title is rolling into retail soon. Xbox 360 copies of World of Tanks will arrive on store shelves in August for $19.99. They'll include 1,500 in-game gold, 200,000 in-game silver, premium vehicles and a pass for three days of premium account time, which gives players a 50 percent boost to silver and XP earnings. The bundle, dubbed the Combat Ready Starter Pack, also includes a 30-day Xbox Live Gold membership, a continued requirement for free-to-play games on the platform. Developer Wargaming West also plans to launch what it calls its game's largest update, Soviet Steel, for free. The update adds 29 USSR vehicles of varying class and/or destruction and a pair of new maps. [Image: Wargaming.net]
Play World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition for free this weekend
If you've ever wanted to cruise around in a tank but lack the funding and proper military clearance to hop inside one of the metal beasts, this weekend may be your golden opportunity thanks to the Xbox 360 incarnation of Wargaming's online hit World of Tanks. From now until midnight on Sunday, March 30, all Xbox 360 owners will be able to download World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition and join in the online tank battles at no charge. Players who enjoy the free trial enough to purchase World of Tanks will be pleased to learn that this free weekend coincides with the "World of Tanks' Map Madness Community Challenge." As part of that event, every tank destroyed over the course of the next few days will go toward unlocking new multiplayer maps for the game. You can find the free World of Tanks download by visiting the Xbox Live Marketplace from your console, or by simply clicking through. [Image: Wargaming]
PSA: World of Tanks out now on Xbox 360
Wargaming's free-to-play tactical multiplayer combat game World of Tanks is now up for grabs for Xbox Live Gold subscribers on the Xbox 360, with a seven-day timed trial available for XBL Silver members. Previously released for PC platforms, World of Tanks offers a selection of team-based tank warfare scenarios across seven playable maps. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition boasts a new control scheme suited for twin-stick controllers, along with a new HDTV-optimized UI that should aid veteran players transitioning from PC to console. Through the end of the month, first-time players can purchase two Founder's Packs at a discounted rate using in-game currency, expanding their arsenal with premium tanks, extra ammunition, and other bonus equipment. A bonus Russian T-127 light premium tank is available for players who purchase both Founder's Packs. [Image: Wargaming]
World of Tanks to blast Xbox 360 on February 12
The Xbox 360 version of World of Tanks will launch February 12, Wargaming announced. The game will retain its free-to-play-with-premium-purchases structure, but will require an Xbox Live Gold membership. Those with a free Xbox Live account will have access to a trial version of the game for seven days. The tactical, team-based online war game will include over 100 tanks from the Unites States, Germany and United Kingdom. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition entered beta in August 2013. The game first launched on PC in North America in April 2011 following its 2010 release in Russia. [Image: Wargaming.net]
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: Xbox 360 Edition open beta this weekend
A worldwide open beta has been initiated for World of Tanks on Xbox 360. Anyone with an Xbox Live account can jump into the beta right now on through this weekend, up until the virtual tanks are directed back to the garage on December 15. If you don't have an Xbox Live Gold subscription, participating in the beta will net you a seven-day trial period. Those who have already claimed their free seven-day trial can re-up for another seven days as part of this weekend's beta test. Wargaming.net's World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition was announced back in June at E3. The free-to-play online multiplayer combat game pits players against each other in mid-20th century tanks. World of Tanks will not feature cross-platform play between Xbox 360 and PC, and players will have to register separate accounts in order to play on their platform of choice.
Wurm Online launches new loyalty bonus program
Wurm Online has begun a brand-new loyalty bonus program for the faithful as well as plans to allow players the ability to pay for a subscription through Xsolla. The new loyalty program is made of two parts, a legacy bonus and future bonus. The legacy bonus is for players who have subscribed in the past and will be rewarded for this by a bounty of Seryll bars. The future bonus encompasses all of the rewards going forward, including titles, achievements, and illusion potions. The recent Wurm newsletter also announced that players can now choose to pay for the game via Xsolla, a payment provider that is used by, among other companies, Wargaming. [Source: Wurm Online newsletter]
Wargaming establishes new mobile-oriented studio in Seattle
World of Tanks developer Wargaming has conquered Seattle and is funding the creation of a new, yet-to-be-named studio there, GamesBeat reports. Okay, maybe they just want to make mobile games instead of capturing the city, but if they start rolling tanks toward their neighbors next year, we called it. What has been determined is that the studio will be led by David Bluhm, co-founder of the mobile-oriented developer Z2. PopCap Production Director Joe McDonagh will oversee game production, while Z2's Senior Producer Julian Chunovic will head post-production. While no announcements concerning the studio's projects have been made, Bluhm told GamesBeat that he thinks "mobile is ripe for innovative and new core game mechanics." Wargaming itself has yet to release a mobile game, but World of Tanks: Blitz will be its debut.
World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition beta rolls out
World of Tanks for Xbox 360, which is officially called World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition, is ready for beta testers. United States, Canada and European commanders can head on over to worldoftanks.com/xbox to sign up for access. Developer Wargaming will send out access tokens on a weekly basis. The three regions will have access to the "new US and German tier VII and VIII heavy tanks" during testing. The company also plans to announce beta release dates for other regions "soon."
Wargaming grabs Total Annihilation and Master of Orion IPs
Wargaming has ambitious plans for the company's 15th anniversary this year, starting with the acquisition of two well-known IPs: Total Annihilation and Master of Orion. Master of Orion is an acclaimed 4X sci-fi strategy series that began in 1993, while Total Annihilation was a popular RTS from 1997. CEO Victor Kislyi teased the possibilities that these IP pickups represent: "Total Annihilation and Master of Orion are strategy game classics. Although it's too soon to disclose any details, we are more than willing to give a new lease of life to these games most of us grew up playing. It's exactly where our major focus will be." Beyond that, Wargamming announced that it has opened a new office in Austin, Texas to help smooth the flow of communication and production processes between its teams and studios. The team also announced the inclusion of British planes in World of Warplanes, which you can see in the reveal video after the jump. [Source: Wargaming press release]
World of Tanks developer working with Microsoft to streamline 'unacceptable' certification process
The CEO of World of Tanks-developer Wargaming, Victor Kislyi, said that his team is working with Microsoft to streamline an "unacceptable" certification and quality assurance process in its effort to launch the popular free-to-play game on the Xbox 360 later this year. Speaking with Polygon at PAX Australia, Kislyi said that the "frequent updates" required to tweak online games posed a challenge for Microsoft's current certification process, which takes "an extremely long time." "Totally unacceptable for meaningful free-to-play," he said, promising his team was working with Microsoft to ensure "quicker updates." "We will see, there is a lot of work on the technically side and on the administrative side which should resolve in the acceptable quality of the product, including updates of the product including speed and rates," Kislyi said, unable to confirm whether Microsoft will offer a similar streamlined certification process to other developers. When asked about other challenges his team may face bringing the previously PC-exclusive free-to-play game to consoles, Kislyi admitted making any predictions about the unreleased version was "not very wise." World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition is currently undergoing a beta test, with sign-ups available on the game's official website.%Gallery-191128%
More Atari IP auction winners announced, Stardock plans Star Control reboot
A few more pieces from Atari's intellectual property catalog, which has been on clearance sale for a little while now, have new owners. Of note is the Total Annihilation and Master of Orion franchises being picked up by World of Tanks developer Wargaming World Limited, while the Star Control series is now in the hands of Galactic Civilizations developer Stardock. "We're very excited to publish a new Star Control game. We are inclined to go with an XCOM-like reboot using Star Control 2 as a major source of inspiration," said Brad Wardell, president and CEO of Stardock to Joystiq. "By rebooting the series á la XCOM, we can bring a new generation of gamers into a fun, silly space adventure. We hope to involve as many of the original designers and developers of the series, along with the fan base. It's important to us that Star Control remain true to its origins as much as is possible." Wargaming has yet to respond to our request about its plans. We've placed the list of the latest Atari IP winners after the break. The winning bids were not disclosed.
World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition open beta in 'relatively near future'
World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition will enter open beta in the "relatively near future," Wargaming General Manager Denny Thorley said during a demo at E3. The beta will begin in North America and Canada, and roll out to other countries later on. Beta registration is open now at the game's website. The beta will likely include four maps and a majority of the full game's 60 total tanks at first, Thorley said. World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition won't feature cross-play between PC and console. It supports online multiplayer for up to 30 players – 15 vs. 15 – with no single-player or local multiplayer content at launch. Wargaming may add single-player tutorials or other comparable content in the future. It's free-to-play for Xbox Live Gold members, and all other Live users will get a free seven-day trial. The monetization strategy on XBLA will be slightly different than its PC predecessor, though Thorley said he couldn't go into detail about specific packages. "I think you're going to find some similarities," Thorley said. "There are areas that may be slightly different." The major differences between the PC and Xbox 360 versions of World of Tanks will be the control scheme – surprise, the console edition uses a controller – and some user interface tweaks to better suit a couch perspective.%Gallery-191128%
Wargaming celebrates 15 years with new World of Tanks tournament
You may be familiar with Wargaming through the development studio's wildly successful game World of Tanks, but did you know that the company has been around for 15 years and has developed almost a dozen other games? To help celebrate this special 15th anniversary, Wargaming has announced a global World of Tanks tournament that will see winning teams from Europe, North America, Russia, South Korea, Southeast Asia, China, Vietnam, and more represent their regions with an all-expense-paid trip to the World of Tanks studio in Minsk, Belarus. The tournament will be a traditional 7 v 7 format and will run from May until the end of June. Check out the Wargaming site for more info.
GDC 2013: Catching up with Gas Powered Games' Chris Taylor
Hey, is that CEO Chris Taylor from Gas Powered Games? By jove, it is! At GDC this past week we had the opportunity to catch up with Taylor and see how his studio is doing following its acquisition by Wargaming.net. He said that the synergy between his studio and Wargaming.net is powerful: "Our overlap is enormous between what we believe in as a company and what Wargaming believes in." We were most curious about the "mystery MMO" that Taylor and his team is constructing. "We are doing research and prototyping on our first Wargaming game," Taylor said, "which will be a huge PvP, free-to-play MMO. It's going to take a little while to get it rolling, and we'll talk about it more once we know it is exactly. We'll announce it down the road." Is there anything else that he was willing to share about it? Taylor paused and said, "It's going to be the biggest game we've ever made." Massively sent its ace reporters to San Francisco to bring you back the biggest MMO news from this year's GDC, the largest pro-only gaming industry con in the world! Whether it's EVE Online or Star Wars: The Old Republic or that shiny new toy you've got your eye on, we're on the case, so stay tuned for all the highlights from the show!
Gas Powered Games working on mystery MMO
With the recent acquisition of Gas Powered Games by Wargaming.net, we have been wondering what direction the Age of Empires Online studio would be taking. According to a new interview on Gamasutra, CEO Chris Taylor says that the team has moved on to work on an untitled MMO. This mystery MMO is still in the early stages, Taylor said: "We're just getting going on it, and there's a lot of groundwork to do. But we're barreling ahead." Calling it a "big free-to-play MMO under the Wargaming name," Taylor said the game has fired back up the studio and allowed the re-hiring of laid-off employees. He also said that Wargaming.net has been a "great match" for Gas Powered Games.
