By Ian Boudreau @ The Wargamer
We’re coming up on six months since the launch of Steel Division: Normandy ’44, and in that time, we’ve seen a host of changes, large and small, to Eugen Systems and Paradox’s engaging World War II RTS. So what’s the state of the game now? If you hesitated on picking it up back at launch, is now a good time to jump in? Let’s break down what’s changed, what’s yet to come, and what the game still needs.
Three-Day Opening Weekend Over $500 Million in Worldwide Sales Activision’s World War II Epic Sells Twice as Many Units at Launch as Last Year
Activision’s Call of Duty: WWII has surpassed more than $500 million in sell-through worldwide in its first three days of release, topping popular theatrical box office openings Thor: Ragnarok and Wonder Woman combined, according to company estimates.
On PlayStation4, Call of Duty: WWII set a record as the best-selling digital full game by units sold on its first day of availability. Overall unit sales at launch doubled year-over-year globally.
The gripping, personal narrative, boots-on-the-ground multiplayer and terrifying Nazi zombies mode attracted players worldwide resulting in the highest total connected users on current generation consoles and PC in Call of Duty history.
“We challenged our players to get their squads back together and they answered the call with the highest number of players we’ve ever seen on current gen consoles and PC,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision. “Call of Duty: WWII returns the franchise to its roots and the results are incredible, selling twice as many units in its opening weekend as last year and setting the day one record for full-game downloads on PlayStation 4. Our $500 million opening weekend was not only bigger than Thor: Ragnarok’s, it was bigger than the opening weekends of both Thor and Wonder Woman combined. And we’re committed to supporting the community with continuous improvements and new content.”
Figures include Call of Duty: WWII retail and digital sell-through, and reported movie sales, each for the opening three-days following initial launch, according to publicly-available data, retail customer sell-through information and internal Activision estimates. Digital downloads of Call of Duty: WWII is based on unit sell-through on first day of availability.
Call of Duty: WWII is available on disc at a number of retailers, digital download via Steam, or at the Call of Duty: WWII official website.
By Jordan Forward @ PCGames N
It is hard not to look at Call of Duty: WWII as anything other than an attempt to repeat past glories. The 14-year-old series found its feet telling war stories from the bloodiest conflict in human history and, after a lengthy hiatus jetpacking around space and solving the JFK assassination, it is finally making its homecoming.
But the series has ballooned in popularity, swollen in size, and changed a great deal mechanically since we first parachuted behind enemy lines to give the Nazi war machine a pasting. That clash of old and new was always going to be the biggest obstacle facing developers Sledgehammer Games. It is a good job, then, that they have struck a near-perfect balance. For the first time in years, I am daydreaming about campaign set-pieces, waves of Nazi zombies, and scorestreaks.
After decades of proxy wars, the Middle East is on the verge of a war of dramatic consequences. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran have brought both countries to the point of mobilization!
The international community, divided and ineffective, can only watch as the largest conventional battle in the Middle East since the 2003 invasion of Iraq is about to begin.
Black Gold Blitz, the seventh installment in the Command LIVE series, has been released! This new episode explores a scenario in which religious, economic and political tensions between Tehran and Riyadh have reached a point of no return, and direct war seems unavoidable.
Watch the latest Command LIVE: Black Gold Blitz News Report HERE.
The Operational Art of War saga will be back soon, and we can finally tell you when! Are you ready to get back on the battlefield? The 16th of November TOAW IV will bring you in the middle of the the most important conflicts of the last hundred years.
From The Great War to the Cold War, through World War II, The Operational Art of War IV will let you experience the profound changes that warfare had seen during the 20th century, giving you the chance to re-write history or create your own scenarios with the game editor! Your army needs you!
The Operational Art of War IV is the new generation of operational wargames. With more flexibility than before and with a new array of exciting features, it will make you relive the most iconic battles from the dawn of the 20th Century to modern day, including the ones that never occurred!
More than 200 scenarios like the Battle of Marne, Dien Bien Phu, the Batte of Arnhem, the Falkland Invasion – and lots more! – will forge your strategy skills and ability to master all kind of troops and terrains!
The entire naval warfare system has been completely revised and implemented, bringing its realism to a new, higher, level!
Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.
Call of Duty: WWII is available now digitally and at global retailers worldwide. The most anticipated multi-platform game of this holiday according to Nielsen Game Rank™, marks Call of Duty’s return to where the franchise first began, World War II. The new title takes players to the frontlines of the greatest military conflict ever known, through a personal story of heroism and the unbreakable bond of brotherhood, in the fight to save the world from tyranny.
Activision’s Call of Duty: WWII also delivers a boots-on-the-ground multiplayer experience with new community-engaging features as well as a terrifying cooperative mode, Nazi Zombies.
“Call of Duty: WWII is the right game at the right time for our fans. Returning the franchise to its gritty, boots on the ground, military roots was a big opportunity and a big responsibility. We were determined to deliver an unforgettable World War II experience, and I think we have,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision. “Our teams at Sledgehammer and Raven not only captured the epic scale and authentic atmosphere of the most brutal war ever fought, they also brought a hell of a lot of innovations—from a whole new way to play multiplayer with War Mode, to a new social space with Headquarters, to a jump-out-of-your-chair-scary Nazi Zombies mode. Whether you’re a long-time player, or totally new to the franchise, this is the game that will bring all of our fans together.”
“Call of Duty: WWII has been incredibly personal for us, with members of the Sledgehammer Games team and cast directly connected to World War II veterans. From the start, we committed ourselves to recreating the setting and locations as well as years of research to make sure we captured the spirit and tone that players will experience,” said Glen Schofield, Co-Founder and Studio Head of Sledgehammer Games.
“Being a part of taking Call of Duty fans back to World War II has been an unforgettable privilege for all of us” added Michael Condrey, Co-Founder and Studio Head of Sledgehammer Games. “The stories of sacrifice, comradery, and selflessness demonstrated by the men and women of The Greatest Generation inspired each of us to do the very best work of our careers. We kept these humble heroes at the forefront of developing the game and we proudly share it with the Call of Duty community in their honor.”
Call of Duty: WWII is loaded with an incredible amount of content, and delivers a variety of new ways for all players to connect, compete and engage as a community across the unique modes of play. The Call of Duty: WWII story campaign immerses players into an intense journey filled with gripping action and epic battles. Players follow the story of Ronald “Red” Daniels, a member of the US 1st Infantry Division, who joins British forces and the French Resistance, and battle across the beaches of Normandy, to the liberation of Paris and ultimately into Germany.
Call of Duty: WWII multiplayer is a fast-paced, grounded and action-packed mode set in some of the most iconic locations in World War II’s European theater with an arsenal of iconic weapons and equipment to suit different play styles and innovative ways to experience the mode, including:
Nazi Zombies is an all-new, cooperative zombies mode that thrusts players into a dark and terrifying, new and unique storyline set within a mythical and mystical World War II universe. Players embark on a chilling journey through a snowy Bavarian village in Germany, which holds a twisted secret to an unimaginable and monstrous power.
Call of Duty: WWII is now available on disc at a number of retailers, digital download via Steam, or at the Call of Duty: WWII official website.
UbiBlog has announced Rainbow Six: Siege, Operation White Noise, a new DLC pack for Rainbow Six: Siege set in South Korea. Rainbow Six: Siege’s second year of expansions will soon enter its fourth season with the arrival of Operation White Noise, which features a vertigo-inducing new map set in an observation tower above Seoul’s skyline, and three new Operators. Operation White Noise will be the final content drop before Rainbow Six: Siege enters Year 3.
Also joining the fray are two as-yet-unrevealed members of South Korea’s 707th Special Mission Battalion, an attacker and a defender described as “stubborn and daring” and “methodical and tenacious,” respectively. Also joining the roster is a new Operator from Poland’s GROM, completing the set that began with Ela’s arrival in Operation Blood Orchid. More updates are coming soon; in the meantime, be sure to catch the Rainbow Six Pro League finals in Sao Paulo from November 18-19 at twitch.tv/rainbow6.
Rainbow Six: Siege is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
For more information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, please visit the games official website.
The Command LIVE News Team has sent his last editorial report, directly from the frontline!
Saudi Arabia and Iran’s international relations are getting worse, after the news of gunfire between an Iranian marine ship and Saudi forces.
Considering the endless list of proxy wars the two countries have fought for supremacy in the region, the chance of a wider conflict is now more concrete, with rumors of an Iranian retaliation being confirmed!
Read the analysis here (.pdf) to get prepared for what is coming!
Command LIVE: Black Gold Blitz will be available on November 7th.
New Version Includes Award-Winning Game and Both Expansions; new Free DLC Available for Owners of Pillars on PC, Mac, and Linux
Paradox Interactive has announced a new edition of Pillars of Eternity which provides the definitive experience and tremendous value to RPG fans everywhere.
The award-winning title is now available as Pillars of Eternity: Definitive Edition, a comprehensive version of Obsidian’s crowdfunded masterpiece that includes both White March expansions, all premium extras, and an all-new bundle of content, called the “Deadfire Pack,” inspired by Obsidian’s upcoming Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
Definitive Edition will be available for PC, Mac, and Linux on November 15, 2017. The new Deadfire Pack DLC will also be made available for free to all existing (and future) owners of Pillars of Eternity on Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs to thank them for their ongoing support of what has become one of the world’s most beloved RPGs. With these additions, fans will have the complete set of all Pillars of Eternity content ever created inside and outside of the game in the final, all-encompassing release.
On November 15, the Definitive Edition will be made available via digital distributors everywhere for a suggested retail price of $39.99, and will include:
Alongside the release of the Definitive Edition, the original Pillars of Eternity – Hero Edition game will receive a suggested retail price reduction to $29.99 on Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs.
Pillars of Eternity, originally the result of a crowdfunding campaign by over 75,000 backers, has led a resurgence in the classic RPG genre since its release in 2015. Winner of “Best RPG” from multiple critics, the game is now available for both PC and console platforms from retailers worldwide. A sequel, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, is currently in development by Obsidian Entertainment.
For more information on Pillars of Eternity, visit the games official website.
