E3 has only just begun, but we've already received some pretty big news on the MMO front: Wargaming.net has announced that its absurdly popular free-to-play bash 'em up, World of Tanks, will be launching on the Xbox 360 this summer.
The Xbox 360 version of the game has been "tuned specifically" for the console and will feature 15-on-15 matches. World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition will remain free-to-play, as long as you're an Xbox Gold subscriber.
World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition will enter open beta in the "relatively near future," Wargaming General Manager Denny Thorley said during a demo at E3. The beta will begin in North America and Canada, and roll out to other countries later on. Beta registration is open now at the game's website.
The beta will likely include four maps and a majority of the full game's 60 total tanks at first, Thorley said.
World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition won't feature cross-play between PC and console. It supports online multiplayer for up to 30 players – 15 vs. 15 – with no single-player or local multiplayer content at launch. Wargaming may add single-player tutorials or other comparable content in the future.
It's free-to-play for Xbox Live Gold members, and all other Live users will get a free seven-day trial. The monetization strategy on XBLA will be slightly different than its PC predecessor, though Thorley said he couldn't go into detail about specific packages.
"I think you're going to find some similarities," Thorley said. "There are areas that may be slightly different."
The major differences between the PC and Xbox 360 versions of World of Tanks will be the control scheme – surprise, the console edition uses a controller – and some user interface tweaks to better suit a couch perspective.
World of Tanks for Xbox 360, which is officially called World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition, is ready for beta testers. United States, Canada and European commanders can head on over to worldoftanks.com/xbox to sign up for access.
Developer Wargaming will send out access tokens on a weekly basis. The three regions will have access to the "new US and German tier VII and VIII heavy tanks" during testing. The company also plans to announce beta release dates for other regions "soon."
The Xbox 360 version of World of Tanks will launch February 12, Wargaming announced. The game will retain its free-to-play-with-premium-purchases structure, but will require an Xbox Live Gold membership. Those with a free Xbox Live account will have access to a trial version of the game for seven days.
The tactical, team-based online war game will include over 100 tanks from the Unites States, Germany and United Kingdom. World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition entered beta in August 2013. The game first launched on PC in North America in April 2011 following its 2010 release in Russia.
On July 20, 1969, the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission set foot on the Moon for the first time in human history. We're saluting that accomplishment in the best way we could, by bringing back the popular Lunar Mode!
Our last visit to the moon was fun and games, but now, the battle picks up! This time around, Lunar mode WILL affect your player stats such as win rate, survivability, player totals, etc. Earn medals, ribbons, and track your performance with full stat reporting!
But we're not done yet. Throughout the weekend, hop into the M24 Lunar and engage in some out of this world battles! A special Chained Operation challenges you to tackle missions both in and out of the M24 Lunar, but you'll also want to check out the Operations that make up the Mid July event! You can also find special July Premium shop bundles and the third part of our month-long Freedom to Win chained operation!
Includes: • American Tier II T1E6-X1 Light Tank • 100% Trained Crew • 1200 AP Shells • 240 APCR Shells • 5 Large Repair Kit • 5 Large First Aid Kit • 5 Automatic Fire Extinguisher • 1 Garage Slots • 100,000 Silver • 7 Days of Premium • 2 Ops Please note that this bundle can only be claimed one time per account.