In October 1914, the Belgian army put up a tenacious defense against the German Fourth Army as they attempted to cross the Yser river and Yperlee Canal in order to break through to critical channel ports. They were ultimately successful in halting the German advance, and would continue to hold their ground until the very end of the war. Although 95% of Belgium was German occupied, the country never completely fell.


A postcard showing Belgian troops defending a crossing of the Yser river.

Our latest campaign event will run until October 31, when intentional flooding forced a German withdrawal. Which side will be able to win this battle of attrition?

All casualties in Frontlines and Maneuver game modes in Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses, and the winning side will be whoever suffers the least killed and wounded. 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.

Read the Campaign FAQ here!

In case you haven’t been following Isonzo on Steam, there has been a new blog talking about the new rifle grenades and a few other weapons. The rifle grenades used in WW1 were early ones, and each nation often came up with very different designs.

You can read the sixth Isonzo Intel here!


#1: Italian Benaglia Rifle Grenade, #2 Austro-Hungarian Zeitzünder Gewehrgranate, 1st Variant.

We just released a new dev blog for Isonzo! This time it's all about our new class system, which will allow you more freedom in how you equip yourself. Read the basics below, or get all the juicy details in the full blog:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/2967296416598907677
In Isonzo we wanted to tailor the class selection to the nature of the fighting on the Italian Front and to reflect the new gameplay features we are introducing such as construction. We want to put a larger focus on non-combat roles for players to shape the battlefield and help their team members fight more effectively. The focus is on working together and advancing as a team, and the selection of classes reflects this.

The classes we have follow a generic class “archetype”, but for both the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire there will be different weapons and uniforms based on actual historical units that fulfilled these roles. There will be more info in future blogs about the specifics of each class and how these are implemented per faction.

The below images are from our brand-new UI that is still very much Work In Progress (some icons are still a bit crusty). As you can also see we’ve significantly upped the level of detail on our characters as well. We’ll talk more about what that means as we draw closer to launch!


All factions have classes based on historical units, such as the Italian Alpini as mountaineer versus Austrian Kaiserjagers.

[url=
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/2967296416598907677]Read the full article on the Isonzo Steam Hub![/url]

107 years ago today, the First World War began as Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This was a month after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip. It was a turbulent affair, and only a series of wild chances led to the death of the Archduke. That said, even if the assassination had never happened, Europe was a tinderbox waiting for a spark. It seems likely that some other event would have provided an excuse for the war.


A headline from an American newspaper. The writers likely didn’t imagine that the war in Europe would last more than four years, or that US troops would join the fighting.

In response to the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war, a series of other mobilizations and declarations were made. Russia gathered their troops, and in response Germany assembled an army and declared war on Russia. Luxembourg was occupied by German troops on August 2nd, and they declared war on France the day after. The invasion of Belgium began on August 4th, and Britain sent a demand to Germany to cease their attack under threat of war - predictably there was no response, and so Britain was at war with Germany by midnight of the 4th. The First World War had begun in earnest.

This month’s campaign is inspired by the fighting seen at the start of the war. The Germans saw considerable early success, before ultimately being halted outside of Paris during the First Battle of the Marne in September. On the Eastern Front, Russia made a successful advance into Galicia, but suffered enormous losses during the Battle of Tannenberg.

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, to commemorate the start of World War One, we’re holding a Commemoration event on our social media and Discord channel. From today, July 28, until August 8 we’ll be posting in black and white! Every day we will focus on something else, so be sure to check in daily to see what we’re up to.

Want to go more in-depth with fellow players, mods and devs? We have a special channel in our Discord in relation to our Commemoration event as well. If you haven’t already, be sure to join our Discord server by clicking here.

Alongside these events, the Film Memoir mode will be available for free for everyone on PC! Be sure to join us in the black and white posting by sharing your screenshots and clips while using this mode. Don’t forget to use the special hashtag #RememberWW1 so we can easily find the content you create while using this feature! And who knows, we might be highlighting some of your reporting efforts!



Verdun and Tannenberg were released on the Epic Games Store last Thursday, along with Verdun being free to claim there for a week. You’ve likely seen many new players in-game, let’s all welcome them to the WW1 battlefields!!

That’s all the news from the trenches for now!
Wishing you all the best from the WW1 Game Series team!

Attention soldiers on the Western front!


We would like to inform you that there's new Isonzo Intel for you all!
We've mentioned previously that there will be a new gamemode in Isonzo; Offensive.
In the latest dev blog, we discuss the Offensive more in depth, combined with new images, videos & gifs!



https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/2981928042027184445

Thank you all for your continious support and excitement for Isonzo!
Be sure to wishlist Isonzo if you haven't already and follow our social media for Isonzo news as well!


Welcome to all the new players who joined us during the free weekend! We saw a great number of new players after the weekend. New recruits and veteran players, thank you for your support and love for the game!




Furthermore, the anniversary of the start of The Great War is approaching at the end of month. We can't say anything specific for now, but please keep your eye out for more WW1GameSeries news!


See you on the battlefield!

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.