War Thunder Drops Its Beta Designation And Officially Launches

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Usually, we consider games that have entered Open Beta to be officially launched, but that's more often than not not actually true. While they are open to the public, they still aren't considered to be a finished product by their developers. Today, a game that has been in Open Beta for three years, War Thunder, has officially launched.

Today's update introduces 30 of the Japanese military's "ground forces vehicles," the last bit of content needed for War Thunder to launch as it was "originally proposed." Every nation that the game has to offer now has a complete tech tree full of aircraft and ground vehicles.

Gaijin Entertainment Creative Director Kirill Yudintsev had the following to say about the announcement.

After reaching this important development milestone, which marks the end of Open Beta, the goals set out for War Thunder in 2012 are now complete. We will focus on adding new features and improvements, to let virtual pilots, tankers and navy captains enjoy one of the most realistic, extensive and accessible war simulations of all time

In addition to the new vehicles, the launch update introduces cockpits for all aircraft, two new maps for "ground and combined arms combat," and a dozen vehicles for other nations, bringing the total up to over 800 vehicles in all. The two new maps are "Abandoned Factory," which challenges players to "identify targets in a maze of industrial workshops and loading bays," and "38th Parallel," a "post-World War II" map set in the Korean peninsula.

Post-launch plans for 2017 include the full launch of War Thunder Naval Forces, the previously announced World War mode and other new game modes, new nations, and improvements to various modes of competitive play, including eSports.

You can find the full set of patch notes here.

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