Creating an MMO based on a fictional world is no piece of cake. Just ask Curt Schilling if you want proof. Luckily the real world is still ripe with possibilities for settings, which is where War Thunder is turning. Developer Gaijin Entertainment might be better known for its mobile and console titles, but its new venture is an ambitious effort to bring all phases of World War II combat to your PC or Mac.
Creating an MMO based on a fictional world is no piece of cake. Just ask Curt Schilling if you want proof. Luckily the real world is still ripe with possibilities for settings, which is where War Thunder is turning. Developer Gaijin Entertainment might be better known for its mobile and console titles, but its new venture is an ambitious effort to bring all phases of World War II combat to your PC or Mac.
I should say eventually it will feature all phases, because the initial focus will be on aerial battles. Players will be able to take to the skies in authentic planes from the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, Japan and more, complete with realistic cockpits and upgradeable weapons. Fighters and bombers will be available, and Gaijin is stating that there will be hundreds of planes in the finished game.
Expect to see multiplayer battles with numerous human players on each side. War Thunder will have multiple control options to even the playing field a bit between advanced players and people who are just starting out. Of course that might not be enough to keep random strangers from calling you a noob in chat, but it’s something.
The plan is for the game to expand to include ground units and naval fleets for a truly complete WWII experience. If that sounds appealing to you, it also may sound a little familiar, because World of Tanks is planning the same thing – except, obviously, starting with ground combat. The big difference is that War Thunder will incorporate all aspects of combat into the same battles, while the Wargaming.net games are only going to have players share resources between different types of units, at least in the short term.
The other thing War Thunder will have going for it is PvE content like solo and co-op missions. There’s even a dynamic campaign mode that will allow players to rewrite or recreate history. Sounds like a lot to promise, but if it all comes together, it certainly will be a full-featured MMO experience.
Since the global beta test is already underway, you won’t have to wait long to be like Snoopy and become a flying ace. Wait… that was World War I.
The game is also going the Steam Greenlight route if you want to show it some love, and if you’re feeling too lazy for that, you can just click the follow button at the top of this page and let us tell you when it’s rolling out for real.
