World of Tanks

Two new game modes are coming to World of Tanks. Encounter battle and assault will both debut with the 7.4 patch, as Wargaming.net looks to up the ante in terms of complicated combat assignments.

The patch will also expand the French tank tree as well as add two new maps to the mix. The first map is called Widepark, and it takes place amidst the ruins of a bombed out German town. The second map is called Airfield. It transports players to a Mediterranean location surrounded by temple ruins and rocky hills.

The most noteworthy 7.4 changes, though, are the game modes. Encounter battle "invites two sides to fight for one base," according to a Wargaming.net press release. Assault "sets the players in the roles of attackers and defenders where the former have superior combat capabilities," the company says.

[Source: Wargaming.net press release]

One of these days we're going to write a story about how Wargaming.net has colonized another planet and is busy converting its indigenous population into fiendishly addicted action MMO players. Today, though, the company is settling for Korea.

The month of May brings the latest territorial expansion for the firm's ubiquitous World of Tanks brand as well as a new Korean office. "We are proud to announce that Wargaming.net is just a couple of steps away from establishing its Korean presence," says CEO Victor Kislyi. "Now that we're fully prepared to meet [the] high expectations of the Korean gaming community, I don't see any reasons for World of Tanks not to become a success."

Wargaming.net launched World of Tanks in 2011. The company is currently conducting global alpha tests for its World of Warplanes followup as well as developing World of Battleships.

[Source: Wargaming.net press release]

When you log in and play World of Tanks, you're playing the entertaining part of war, the part with cool machines wreaking havoc. Real wars obviously aren't fought by logging in and choosing a tank; they're fought by brave men and women willing to lay down their lives for their country if necessary. Thus, in honor of National Military Appreciation Month, Wargaming.net is donating to several charities for American veterans with your purchases.

Four charities -- AMVETS, Homes for our Troops, the Military Families Fund, and Paralyzed Veterans of America -- will be receiving 10% of the proceeds from all American purchases of larger Gold packs and 75% of the proceeds for all American purchases of the T14 package. To help raise awareness of veteran concerns, the company will also be hosting several giveaways through the month. It's a nice nod toward the reality of armed conflicts, and it lets you play at a private little war while still donating to survivors of real battles.

World of Tanks has some gaudy user numbers. Even though MMO companies and PR firms are known for their Hollywood accounting when it comes to player statistics, 24 million users is a lot any way you slice it.

It's not enough for Wargaming.net, though, so the company is shipping its brand of lobby-based World War II tank action to Southeast Asia this week. The game is coming to Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, and it's bringing its arsenal of more than 150 armored vehicles with it.

Local support, distribution, marketing, and operational concerns are in the hands of SEA Gaming. World of Tanks originally launched in March of 2011 as the first game in a planned trilogy of World War II-based action titles.

[Source: Wargaming.net press release]

We've been hearing about World of Tanks for so long that it seems crazy to think the title is just now celebrating its first anniversary. Sure enough, though, Wargaming.net's lobby-based multiplayer title is barely a year old. Well, OK. It's almost two years old if you count its summer 2010 beta release, which we won't since the title up there says first anniversary.

Anyhow, what's even scarier than the passage of time is the fact that World of Tanks (and the company behind it) is showing no signs of slowing down.

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Bring on the armored confetti! World of Tanks is celebrating its first anniversary, and Wargaming.net is "tankful" for the over 24 million registered players worldwide. Has the growth caused some shell-shock? "Our growth over the last year has been nothing short of amazing. A year ago, no one in the company could possibly imagine that World of Tanks would have skyrocketed like this," said Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi.

So what have all these users been up to over the last 12 months? They have participated in 350 million battles, fired more than 75 billion shells (scoring 48 billion direct hits), and destroyed more than eight billion armored vehicles. On top of that, World of Tanks secured the Guinness World Record for the Most Players Online Simultaneously on One MMO Server in January 2011 with 91,311 simultaneous players. The game has even broken that record multiple times, reaching a hefty 450,000 players online at one time.

WoT has no intention of resting on its laurels; Kislyi assures us that "the game isn't slowing down anytime soon." In fact, he says, "We have massive expectations for the upcoming year, and we'll continue to drive game development that will keep our players engaged and excited."

Join in the celebration: Watch the video after the cut and then check out our one-year retrospective in next week's The Firing Line.

[Source: Wargaming.net press release]

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It was just last week that Wargaming.net rolled out patch 7.2 for its World of Tanks action title. Today the company has announced the followup, and while we don't have a release date on 7.3 as of yet, we do know that it features quite a lot of new content.

First and foremost is the revamp to the game's Soviet tech tree, which sees heavy tanks split into two separate branches. The 7.3 update also brings a new South Coast battle arena to World of Tanks as well as Dragon's Ridge, the first of the game's maps to be set in Asia.

"We've got loads of exciting new content to share with our players," said Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming.net. "The new machines should give players a taste for heavy vehicles, and with the help of the upcoming battle arenas, the game will get a fresh look from both a visual and tactical point of view." You can get a visual preview of 7.3 via the video after the cut.

[Source: Wargaming.net press release]

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Wargaming.net is going through quite a growth spurt, and the company's CEO says it's not just about registered user numbers boosted by freeloading players. "We probably have one of the highest payment ratios in the industry, it's around 25 to 30 percent," Victor Kislyi recently told GamesIndustry.biz.

Kislyi also offered up some impressive concurrent user numbers for World of Tanks, including 423,000 simultaneous Russian tankers that he said outstrips the entirety of EVE Online's playerbase.

As for the "pay-to-win" rhetoric often found in World of Tanks internet discussions, Kislyi says it is what it is. "For casual gameplay, which most players do most of the time, people don't usually use gold or expendables. Of course if you want to win a tournament, if you're competitive, if you play clan wars, if you want to be at the top, we think it's appropriate to expect a little bit of money from you because you already spent hundreds of hours in our game and that's much more than the value of any $50 box."

Massively Speaking Episode 190 brings us another installment of the wild and wacky adventures of Massively's GDC crew. Today the entire ensemble has assembled, with Shawn, Jef, Karen, and MJ hogging the mike and sharing their impressions and experiences from the convention. Also, Karen rules from the Iron Throne, so do not mess with her or she'll send you to the Wall.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

Get the podcast:
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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

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Wargaming.net might want to think seriously about changing its name to Worldgaming.net. The studio behind World of Warplanes announced today that it's bringing its World of Tanks MMO to southeast Asia. Wargaming has formed a partnership with SEA Gaming that will bring the World War II action title to gamers in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

This isn't a simple port of the European or American client, either, as Wargaming.net says gamers in the region can expect full localization, a Singapore-based server group, and dedicated support services.

Online gaming in southeast Asia features an estimated 100 million players, who will generate nearly $1 billion in sales by 2015, according to market analysts at Niko Partners.

[Source: Wargaming.net press release]

Wargaming.net is making it easier than ever to stay in touch with your friends and goals in World of Tanks, as the studio released its first mobile app that's integrated with the online game. Called World of Tanks Assistant, this free app can be found in the iTunes Store, although an Android version is coming soon.

The World of Tanks Assistant is designed to give players access to in-game information while they're on the go. Players can access their profiles, read up on the latest news, check out combat stats and global ratings, and stay in touch with friends.

Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi hopes that this will be a useful tool for WoT fans: "What I like about the Assistant most is its convenience. Even if you're away from your computer, there's always an app at hand that will give you everything you need to know at any given time."

Watch out America -- your soil is no longer safe from the rampaging treads of World of Tanks! Wargaming.net announced the forthcoming 7.2 update for the game which includes a US twist: an American map called Live Oaks, US tank destroyers, and updates to two of the top-tier American heavy tanks.

Update 7.2 will be arriving in the first quarter of this year, and also contains an Italian map (Campania), an integrated tutorial to help newbies get a handle on the game, and 20 new crew skills.

Lead Game Designer Mike Zhivets is all aglow over 7.2: "We are always happy to introduce new features and game content to our community. Many more new exciting features are on their way and will be introduced in the nearest updates."

You can check out the diesel action in the trailer after the jump!

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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]

Wargaming.net has been trumpeting the 7.0 release for its World of Tanks MMO for a while now. Today the company dropped the first hint about what lies beyond with update 7.1, which it will feature the long-awaited introduction of French tanks.

The new tech tree boasts 18 new French fighting vehicles (there's a pacifist joke in there somewhere) divided into light, medium, and heavy flavors. Wargaming.net also says that the French armor will "enrich the combat and bring all-new tactics into the game." We're not sure how the new tactics will work as of yet, but we'll bring you the very latest as the devs make it available.

Finally, Wargaming.net says that French SPGs and tank destroyers are planned for a later update.

[Source: Wargaming.net press release]