Hello soldiers of the Western Front!

This weekend, June 17-20, you’ll be able to play Verdun & Tannenberg for free! We’re celebrating the release of Verdun & Tannenberg on the latest current gen consoles.



For those of you who are new to the WW1 Game Series, we are happy to see you at the frontlines! The battlefield can always use more soldiers, and right now is the perfect time to join the action permanently! For those who don’t own Verdun and/or Tannenberg yet, we have a special deal going combined with the free weekend!

You can get either game with 60% off, or get both games together in the bundle with 65% off!
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/5227/WW1_Game_Series/

Both Verdun and Tannenberg have laid the foundation for the WW1 Game Series and made it possible for us to continue and create Isonzo! We appreciate your continuous support and enthusiasm for our games and the excitement for our new game!

Currently, we are running some closed Alpha tests for Isonzo with PC players right here on Steam!
We don’t have a scheduled deadline for now, as we want to test the game thoroughly.
Be sure to enlist via the form by clicking here.

We’re currently working hard on delivering the game and we can't wait to share more about it with you! We've already posted a few dev blogs. In the first two dev blogs, we announced the new Offensive game mode, more details about the San Michele map, and how we ensured historical accuracy! If you missed our first video dev blog, be sure to check it out if you haven’t already:



The latest Isonzo Intel is also out now! We talk about some the new weapons you’ll be to use as you fight for the Alpine peaks, including some interesting Italian firearms!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/4986028794973970850

Furthermore, if you already own them for previous generation consoles, you might be able to find Verdun & Tannenberg on your current gen console as well. Might be worth checking out…
Good luck on the battlefield soldier!

-WW1 Game Series team

Another campaign comes to a close with another Entente victory. The final tally lies at...

Central Powers: 990,040
Entente: 967,286

Entente wins with 22,754 less casualties than the Central Powers.

Things were a little different in the real battles. The French and British attackers in the Second Battle of Artois suffered around 50,000 more casualties than the defending Germans, while the Gorlice–Tarnów offensive saw an even starker difference, with several hundred-thousand more Russian casualties. Of course, in both cases the total was far below the almost 2,000,000 total casualties we saw in-game.

Don't forget to check out the latest Isonzo Intel dev blog, all about the challenges of recreating historical landscapes!

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1556790/announcements/detail/3041597566481848340


The ruins of San Martino del Carso, that you will find yourself battling through in Isonzo.

See you next time!

The Second Battle of Artois was primarily a French effort to capture the strategic heights of Vimy Ridge, which the Germans had conquered in 1914. The first French assault actually succeeded, with heavy bombardments and mine detonations opening a path for a fierce assault by the Division Marocaine (Moroccan Division), who succeeded in taking the ridge. Unfortunately for the French, German artillery delayed reserves from moving up to reinforce the Division Marocaine, who were evicted by a strong counter-attack.

The Division Marocaine were among the most decorated units of the French Army.

A memorial to them on Vimy Ridge reads (translated):

"To the Dead of the Moroccan Division
Fearless and Merciless
In memory of Colonel Pein, commanding the 1st Brigade, of Colonel Cros commanding the 2nd Brigade, of the Officers, non commissioned Officers of the Moroccan Division who in glory fell here on 09/10/11 May 1915.
On May 9, 1915 the regiments of the Moroccan Division, rushed from the Berthonval trenches at 10am, fiercely overcame the Germans' resistance and reached Hill 140, their goal, breaking for the first time the enemy's front."



The West to East 1915 campaign will continue until this Friday 4th – the balance currently stands at 794,025 vs 772,397 in favour of the Entente. Once again the Central Powers are on the back foot...

In case you missed it, the most recent Isonzo Intel Dev Blog was all about the challenges of recreating historical landscapes in a videogame. Aside from the technical side of things, you first have to find good reference materials, and remember that landscapes can change a lot over the years...

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1556790/announcements/detail/3041597566481848340
Until next time!

This month’s campaign is inspired by two eastward offensives from 1915. A combined French and British effort aimed at Vimy Ridge on the Western Front, while on the Eastern Front the Germans saw a minor offensive intended to relieve pressure from their Austro-Hungarian allies turn into something much larger. We’re talking, of course, about the Second Battle of Artois and the Gorlice-Tarnów offensive.



All casualties in Frontlines and Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total. Too many First World War battles essentially became meatgrinders (or were even conceived as such from the start) and so it is for our campaigns. The Central Powers have lost all recent campaigns, often by large margins. Will it be different this time?

Read the Campaign FAQ here!


Furthermore, we're still working hard on Isonzo! Please be sure to wishlist our upcoming game if you haven't already! Last week, intell was shared on the creation of historical maps in Isonzo, which of course included some new screenshots and a teaser for the next blogpost..!

You can read our second Isonzo Intel here!


The carso landscape


Good luck in the trenches...

The battle is over, and the Entente have suffered 50,280 less casualties than the Central Powers. Another Entente victory probably won't come as a surprise to anyone who's been following the campaigns so far. Still, things can change so we'll see what happens next time - a new campaign will be coming soon!

A note about the total casualties: they once again cleared 2,000,000 total, reaching almost 2,500,000. That's more casualties than the German military suffered during the entirety of WW1... an important reminder that games like Verdun and Tannenberg represent particularly intense frontline combat, of a kind that generally wasn't sustained for very long.


Sturmtruppe geht vor unter Gas - etching and aquatint by Otto Dix.
(Stormtroopers Advance Under a Gas Attack)

For Isonzo research, we made a small road trip down to Italy last year for some on-site research. Three of the team made the trip: series creative director Jos, together with producer Thomas and level designer Robin. As well as photos and recordings of scenery, we made also made a few videos. Here's the first one:

Developer Jos on location in Italy, discussing the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo.

Even better, we have an extensive dev blog which goes into more detail about the multi-map Offensive game mode! Check it out on the Isonzo steam hub:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/3059609427948758060

The date is April 22nd, 1915 - the time is 5:00pm. A heavy greenish yellow haze rises from the German trenches on the opposite side of the Belgian village of Langemarck. Released from metal canisters, liquid chlorine gas slowly drifted southwestward on the gentle breeze of that sunny afternoon as an artillery bombardment began. French troops were seen staggering back through a barrage of high-explosive shells, falling back behind the Canadian batteries and reserve infantry battalions. A British soldier describes the phenomenon:

"{I watched} figures running wildly in confusion over the fields. Greenish-gray clouds swept down upon them, turning yellow as they travelled over the country blasting everything they touched and shrivelling up the vegetation. . .. Then there staggered into our midst French soldiers, blinded, coughing, chests heaving, faces an ugly purple colour, lips speechless with agony, and behind them in the gas-soaked trenches, we learned that they had left hundreds of dead and dying comrades."



The line on the left was broken by the dangerous cloud of poison, and neither the Allies nor German forces were prepared for the amount of damage the toxic breeze would do. The effect of the gas on the French was greater than the German infantry had anticipated. By nightfall, the Germans had crossed the Yser Canal. By around 8:00pm there were no coherent bodies of French troops east of the canal, batteries in the area had been captured, and the entire left flank of the 1st Canadian Division lay exposed to attack. Although the Belgian and Canadian hinges held firm, Ypres was open for the taking. The gas attack was far more effective than the other German attempt earlier in the year at the Russian town of Bolimów - read about that here.

At the time of writing, the Central Powers have suffered around 22,000 more casualties than the Entente, which would be a significant loss compared to previous campaigns, where the differences were often less than 10,000.

The campaign will end on April 30, this Friday.

A new campaign is live in Verdun and Tannenberg! Which side will suffer the least casualties over the next eight days of fighting? All losses from Frontlines and Maneuver mode battles until April 30 will be recorded, with victory going to the side which loses less men.

The Poison Prince campaign is named after Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg, who commanded German forces during the first major and successful use of gas during the First World War, during the Second Battle of Ypres. Albrecht was the crown-prince of the Kingdom of Württemberg, part of Germany which would cease to exist in 1918.


Casualties following a gas attack.

Although the Second Battle of Ypres was the first significant use of gas, it was not the first attempt by the German army. That dubious honor goes to the Battle of Bolimów in Russia. We’ll share more about these two moments in history during the course of the campaign!

Read the Campaign FAQ here!

Good luck out there...

Our new game Isonzo, is coming to you later this year!

The Great War had many fronts, with different landscapes and battlefields.
Following the dark and muddy trenches in Verdun, now come the high mountains and idyllic towns of Isonzo!



If you want to know more about Isonzo, make sure you check out the special post we made on the Isonzo page, and wishlist the game too while you're there!

For now, we want to thank you all for your love and support for Verdun and Tannenberg! We’re definitely not forgetting the games that brought us here - we’re excited for the next step in our WW1 Game Series adventure, and hope you’ll join us!

Arrivederci, hope to see you all in Italy later this year!

- The WW1 Game Series team

And so the latest campaign comes to a close, with 945,395 casualties for the Entente and 982,641 for the Central Powers. That's 37,246 more losses for the Central Powers. So far the Entente have generally come out on top in the campaigns - albeit by a small margin. Perhaps people prefer playing for the Allies?

The first Austro-Hungarian counter-offensive aimed at relieving the Prsmsl Fortress consisted of 175,000 men in total, so these losses are vastly greater than any week long battle during the war. As you'd expect, considering that Verdun and Tannenberg are about frontline combat at an intensity that could never be maintained for long in real life.



Thanks to everyone who took part. We hope you had fun and found the history interesting!

The Winter War 1915 campaign continues for a couple more days - have you earned a gold medal yet? While the French and Germans were battling for control of the Hartmanswillerkopf peak, on the Eastern Front there were Austro-Hungarian troops trying to break through to relieve Przemyśl Fortress.


A painting of Russian troops marching through the mountains.

In an ill-conceived attempt to relieve the besieged Przemyśl Fortress, the Austro-Hungarian command launched a 1915 offensive through the Carpathian Mountains in the depths of Winter. Around 175,000 men were committed to a grueling slog through impossible conditions with deep snow and night temperatures that could reach -25°F. A horrific 75% would become casualties through freezing, exhaustion, suicide, and more rarely combat. After some initial success against outnumbered Russian defenders, counter-attacks quickly drove back the Austro-Hungarian effort. They never got close to relieving Przemyśl.


A painting of soldiers in snowy conditions.

The campaign will end on February 4th. So far the Entente are ahead with almost 30,000 less casualties than the Central Powers. Will things change before the 4th?