'Forget Celebrations': This War of Mine creators say their 'mission to shed light on the civilian cost of war is far from over' as they announce new DLC for its 10th anniversary

This War of Mine: Forget Celebrations screenshot - woman walking in front of a destroy streetcar

(Image credit: 11 Bit Studios)

To mark the 10^th anniversary of This War of Mine, a game that aims to simulate the horrors of war from a civilian perspective, developer 11 Bit Studios has announced that all-new DLC is on the way, with funds raised going to support multiple charities.

The new add-on, called Forget Celebrations, will return to the fictional nation of Pogoren to tell the story of Katia, a seasoned war correspondent writing a book about her experiences with "the brutal realities of war." When a missile strike destroys her home, she's forced into a struggle to survive, even as she continues her work.

Despite that difficulty, it's been a commercial hit, selling more than seven million copies and attracting a "very positive" rating on Steam across nearly 83,000 user reviews. It's also earned recognition outside of conventional videogame circles: This War of Mine was added to high school reading lists in Poland in 2020, and in 2024 it was given a Special Recognition Award by Amnesty International for its "continued relevance in portraying the harsh realities faced by civilians in conflict zones."

11 Bit Studios has continued to support the game with DLC and updates over the years, and used it to raise a significant amount of money for various charities in the process including $550,000 for the War Child charity and $850,000 for the Ukrainian Red Cross as of November 2022. That effort will continue with Forget Celebrations: "All studio proceeds" raised by the DLC (so, excluding things like Steam's cut, I assume) will be donated to War Child, Amnesty International, Liberty Ukraine, and Indie Games Poland (the site is Polish but IGP also maintains an english-language Steam curator page).

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.