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Seen@E3: World of Tank's next-gen tank controls
What says World of Tanks is available now more than a giant, fake tank bursting through a giant booth at E3 2014? Nothing. The answer is nothing, in case you were trying to guess. Just don't ask us to park any of those tanks. The free-to-play multiplayer tank game is available on PC and on Xbox 360.
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]
Armored Warfare accepting applications for closed beta testing
Guys, Armored Warfare is totally not a World of Tanks clone. Guys? Guys? C'mon, don't give me that look. It's not! Well, maybe it is a little bit. The question is, then, will it be better or worse than its competition? Armored Warfare is a "tanktical" (their words, not ours) shooter that features all sorts of heavy combat vehicles. One key difference between it and World of Tanks is that Armored Warfare's lineup is more current, ranging from the 1950s to present-era tanks and other armored trucks. Obsidian Entertainment is pushing Armored Warfare hard these days in preparation for its E3 showing. The title has begun to accept closed beta applications and has put out a new trailer that you can check after the break.
Elder Scrolls Online, free-to-play games still require Xbox Live Gold
One of Microsoft's big announcements today was the restructuring of Xbox Live Gold; the company will now allow Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners to use entertainment apps like Netflix and HBO Go without requiring a paid Xbox Live subscription. As Microsoft's Phil Spencer clarified to Joystiq today, the latest in a series of "Xbox One-80s" doesn't apply to free-to-play and subscription-based online games. "Right now we haven't changed the policy on MMOs and free-to-play games," Spencer said. While not getting into specifics, he noted that with some games there are "engineering constraints, policy constraints and partner constraints in each one of these scenarios," so the decision to keep games behind the Xbox Live paywall reportedly doesn't rest solely in Microsoft's hands. Bethesda's latest MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online, will still require a Gold subscription on top of the developer's own monthly fees. For the time being, at least; Microsoft has "about six months" to consider changing its policies, as the game was recently delayed for consoles. The developer was in talks with Microsoft back in August to cut the extra fees for The Elder Scrolls Online, which won't be enforced by Sony via PlayStation Plus for PS4.
World of Tanks launches update 1.2 for the Xbox 360
If you like to get your World of Tanks fix on your console, we've got good news. The latest patch for the game's Xbox 360 edition has launched, and it brings with it new premium Soviet tanks along with all-new weather effects. Now you can experience the joy of firing your tank's main gun in the middle of a rainstorm as well as on a nice sunny day. Seven maps are in the rotation for weather variants at launch, with more planned for the future. Not enough for you? Well, the update also adds two new maps, Fisherman's Bay and Abbey, which should give you all sorts of new terrain to deal with. The American tank tree has also been expanded with seven new vehicles, one each for tiers IV through X. You can start enjoying the update today, and you can check out the patch release trailer just past the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
World of Warplanes update brings more American heavy fighters
Wargaming is announcing the release of the newest patch for its flight combat MMO World of Warplanes today. Update 1.3 introduces a new line of American heavy fighters and an auto detect feature for graphic settings so everyone isn't playing on the medium setting by default. Wargaming will also be attending the Chicago Comic Con and Entertainment Expo where it will host two panels on World of Tanks and World of Warplanes. For those who can't attend, a stream will be available on the con's Twitch channel. [Source: Wargaming press release]
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.
April Fools' Day around the virtual world
I was in Guild Wars 2 last night at 10 p.m. PDT when my Asura's head... grew. And wobbled. And bobbled. As did the heads of the not-so-scary-anymore Nightmare Court villains I had been murdering in pursuit of my dailies. Ah, I remembered. It's April Fools' somewhere! Here are some of the MMOs that tried to prank us today: Blizzard showed off a hideous new model for World of Warcraft's Draenei women and announced a new fighting game full of rejected characters. Neverwinter introduces a brand-new playable race -- the Dragon! EverQuest Next wants you to choose the next class: Duct Tapomancer, Rubberbandian, Origami Assassin, or Martinizer. Star Wars: The Old Republic introduced asteroid starships. Final Fantasy XIV teased the worst NPC companions ever. TERA has been overrun by beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! Lord of the Rings Online announced plans for a major sports league. DC Universe Online brought to life the Unicorn Trinket. EverQuest II celebrated Bristlebane Day. Path of Exile gave up and went pay-to-win. Destiny unveiled the "Get Your Ass To Mars" collectors edition. World of Warplanes promised playable UFOs. The Repopulation posted patch notes including The Adventures of Ding Veisel. World of Tanks introduced World of Tanks: The Crayfish. League of Legends turned its meta upside down with a goofy Ultra Rapid Fire mode. Finally, rather than add to the pranks, we sent you on an April Fools' Day quest. The first person to complete it was reader Nathan6! The words in order were waffle, platypus, macguyver, shazbot, and doge, and here is the "prize" page. Thanks for playing, everyone! ;)
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]
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]
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]
