Hell Let Loose reveal trailer promises 100-player WW2 battles

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Hell Let Loose promises a different sort of take on the resurgent Second World War shooter genre. It's a "platoon-based realistic multiplayer FPS," as developer Black Matter explained, "that draws on elements of the RTS genre," including capture sectors, resources, and off-map strikes. And even though the reveal trailer doesn't actually reveal very much, it looks awfully promising, too.

"You've never played World War 2 the way it was meant to be played... with lumbering tanks dominating the battlefield, crucial supply chains fueling the frontlines, being a cog in the machine of colossal combined arms warfare," the website at hellletloose.com states. "Hell Let Loose puts you in the chaos of war, complete with deep player-controlled vehicles, a dynamically evolving frontline, and crucial platoon-focused gameplay that commands the tide of battle. This is a simulation of war... not an arcade arena shooter."

The game will support battles of up to 100 players at a time, "with infantry, tanks, artillery and a shifting front line." It will feature famous conflicts from throughout the war, beginning with "several villages and the town of St. Marie du Mont" in northern France, with a 1:1 scale battlefield four square kilometers in size, recreated using archival and satellite photos, and height imagery. The initial release "will pit the faded might of the German OKW against the relatively green forces of the United States Army," while British, Soviet, and Japanese forces will be released in conjunction with future theaters.

"We're aiming to make a game that mixes the high-intensity carnage, weapon mechanics and brutality of Red Orchestra 2 with the operational, supply and construction mechanics of Project Reality beneath the meta strategy of a game similar to Company of Heroes," the studio wrote. "We prefer intense, terrifying and intelligent instead of long, tedious and boring."

Black Matter aims to support Hell Let Loose with new battles and forces for "an extended period" of at least three to five years. It will also be PC exclusive, at least to start: "As a small team, our entire focus is on delivering a polished PC title with a reliable and bug free user experience," the studio said. It's currently expected to be ready for release in 2018.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.