World of Tanks gets Chuck Norris for Christmas

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2005 wants its meme back.

If there's one thing World of Tanks loves, it's a celebrity cameo. This Christmas it's resurrecting one of the internet's hoariest memes, the fabled strength and power of one Chuck Norris. The meme's origin can be traced back to around fifteen years ago, when Chuck was a sprightly 65 years old, but to be fair he's looking good for 80.

It's always hard to judge with Wargaming how self-aware the humour is: after all, this is a game as comfortable hosting Offspring concerts as it is upending April Fools' Day or celebrating the World Cup. Is Chuck here because he's cheesy, or because he's cool, or both? Who knows, but his 3D model has a nice sweater/jacket combo.

Chuck Norris 3D model in World of Tanks.

(Image credit: Wargaming)

The Christmas event will run from 9th December to 11th January, and revolves around a mountain town which players can decorate: "By dressing up the town, players will increase their festive atmosphere and their present yield." This is what tank commanders do in their spare time. Chuck Norris lives here and will provide daily missions, 32 in total, with various rewards leading up to the unlock of Commander Chuck himself. Full patch notes are here.

Yes there is a quote. “Players like to say I must have been on the other side when they lose a battle; well, now it might just be true,” says Chuck Norris. “As you all know, even when the chips are down, I’m not one to shy away from a challenge and I hope that my fellow tankers do me proud when they take on Chuck’s Challenge!”

I'm sure Chuck wrote those words. His personality just shines through. Come back in 2030 for the World of Tanks Keanu Reeves Christmas special.

Rich Stanton
Rich Stanton
Senior Editor

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."