"World of Warships" has been a point of reference in the panorama of naval battle games for years: it has innovated and redefined the genre by offering a simulation experience combined with action and strategy game elements. All with extreme attention to detail and realism of the ships. We are talking about a reality that has millions of registered players all over the world and has received numerous international awards.
But how did Wargaming.net, the parent company, achieve and maintain such a record? To understand successes, secrets and upcoming developments we interviewed Christian Bergmann, the regional editorial director, of World of Warships Europe.
World of Warships has reached its ninth year after achieving global success. Was such a diffusion foreseen by anyone in the company?
It's great to see how World of Warships has grown over the years and it's always difficult to predict success, especially for the long-term future. But this success requires constant work and effort, especially as a live-service game that needs to continually bring the best possible experience for our amazing community.
Our team has worked hard to improve the game and make it as accessible as possible for players, for example by expanding the availability of our game on different platforms such as Steam and Epic Games Store. It makes us really proud to see so many players from all over the world playing World of Warships regularly, including many who started playing as early as the Beta phase!
What has been the update and development process since 2015?
We chose the path of continuous development, updating the game every 4-5 weeks. This allows us to react quickly by taking care of balancing and improving the game step by step.
We've significantly increased the complexity and depth of the game, allowing players to find their place in terms of modes and playstyle.
World of Warships started with two nations, but now the game features thirteen nations with more than 700 ships in total, each with different gameplay. We've also added new modes, allowing players to play PvE* and more competitive modes like Ranked and Clan Battles.
We're also very proud that we've been able to continually improve the visuals and audio of the game and keep them looking great.
Is it true that the average age of the players is medium-high?
Indeed, yes, although World of Warships is designed to be accessible to players of all ages, starting from a rating of 7+, the average age of our players tends to be above 30. This reflects the maturity of the theme, of the gameplay and the style of the game, which better suits adult players.
So we're not talking about a children's game?
I wouldn't say it's not a game for children: we have young players, but World of Warships relies less on fast-paced action and more on a strategic approach, allowing for prolonged and more intense battles in historical settings from the First and Second Wars World.
Has the accuracy of the simulation been refined based on user feedback?
The opinions of our users are very important to us and are part of our daily work, helping us to understand the wishes and problems of our players. It's difficult to strike a balance between historical accuracy and gameplay needs.
Our game features many references and historical content, as well as very detailed models based on real ships and blueprints, although this is not a full simulation. Our goal is to bring our players the best experience possible and to give them a balanced and fun game.
What new features are on the horizon?
The next few months feature a much-requested addition: new PvE content! This year marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which we will celebrate by adding three D-Day themed Operations to the game, which will also introduce a new mechanic! The new "Classified Documents" mechanic allows players to take and apply specific bonuses to their ships for each match in the mode.
* "Player versus Environment" term used to describe ways in which players face challenges posed by the video game itself, rather than competing against other human players
