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Press release:
ALKMAAR, THE NETHERLANDS – June 14, 2016 – After Verdun’s successful launch on Steam, the developers M2H and Blackmill Games announced the release of the first WW1 FPS on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 for August 30 2016.

After releasing the game on Steam in April 2015, the developers continued their work on the game by announcing a roadmap with several free expansions immediately after the launch. What the community didn’t know was that the developers would also start working on another popular request: a console version.

Developer Jos Hoebe explains: “After a successful PC release we received a lot of questions asking when the game would be available on the Xbox or PlayStation. Having Verdun playable on the console was definitely a no brainer for us, though we all agreed that the game needed some fine-tuning to make it compatible for these devices while keeping the authentic gameplay experience.”

Working on two major projects like this would have been tough, and thankfully help was found from Adaption house Abstraction Games, as well as Microsoft and Sony who have both been very supportive and enthusiastic about the realistic WW1 game.

Now that the game has entered its last polishing phase, the developers are happy to announce the release of Verdun on the consoles. On August 30 2016 Verdun will be released on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 – the first WW1 FPS to land on these amazing platforms.

About Verdun:
Verdun is the first multiplayer FPS set in a realistic First World War setting. The merciless trench warfare offers a unique battlefield experience, immersing you and your squad into intense battles of attack and defense. The game takes place on the western front between 1914 and 1918, in one of the bloodiest conflicts in
world history. The developers were inspired by the infamous Battle of Verdun in 1916. The game offers 4 distinct game-modes: Frontlines, Attrition, Rifle Deathmatch, and Squad Defense. There are also many historically accurate features such as realistic WW1 weaponry, authentic uniforms, horrendous gore, and
maps based on the real battlefields of France and Belgium.

The Frontlines game mode is unique in its tactical complexity. The realistic trenches are challenging to fight in and require tactical cunning to capture and defend. The Entente and Central Powers strive to gain control of frontline sectors. In one battle you’ll find yourself rushing the enemy trenches during an offensive action in order to gain ground, while in another you might be defending your recently conquered ground against a fierce enemy counter-attack.

Players can choose to be part of one of the many squad types in the game, each of which have their own distinct tactical roles. By working together with your friends, you can earn experience that improves the power and versatility of your squad. As you gain more experience fighting and get promoted in rank, you
also earn Career Points which you can use to unlock specializations, weapons and equipment. In the Attrition game mode, the Entente and the Central Powers are pitted against each other in a single battle. Each side has a number of tickets which represents the amount of manpower they have.

When a player is killed and respawns, a ticket is deducted from the side they belonged to. When a side has no more tickets, players of that side cannot respawn – the last side standing wins! The Rifle Deathmatch is a free-for-all game mode, where all players are pitted against each other in a thrilling contest of skill using only bolt-action rifles. In the Squad Defense mode, the player along with three squad-mates will have to defend a position as long as they can against endless waves of AI controlled attackers.

Verdun key features include:
• Realistic World War 1 gameplay: Authentic weaponry with realistic bullet physics, skill based
weapon handling, horrendous gore, poisonous gas with a claustrophobic gas mask experience,
and ferocious artillery barrages
• Tactical squad-based FPS: Unique squad leveling system, distinct squad types and roles, and
voice chat
• True trench warfare: Real-time dynamic frontline with momentum-based attack and counterattack
gameplay
• Authentic World War 1 setting: Typical WW1 music and style, historical battlefields set on the
Western Front
• Challenging game modes: Team-based Frontline, tactical Attrition, skill-based Rifle Deathmatch
and desperate survival in Squad Defense
For more information, please visit Verdun on Steam, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, subscribe
on YouTube, and follow our stream on Twitch TV and follow us on Twitter.

Related links:
Steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/
Official website: http://www.verdungame.com
Press Release Verdun June 2016

About the Developers
With the development of Verdun, Game Studios M2H and Blackmill Games shared a common vision; a passion to create a realistic World War 1 game that would bring some innovation to typical First Person Shooter gameplay. The challenges of WW1 trench warfare combined with tactical squad based combat, including many different squad types and roles, bring a unique diversity of tactical gameplay to this First Person Shooter.

Verdun is the first Dutch game to make it through Steam Greenlight (in July 2013) and has been in Steam Early Access from 2013 to April 27th 2015. M2H and Blackmill Games made the most of this opportunity to work with the community on polishing the game, and they’ve continued this process after their full launch by releasing multiple free expansions. Their next adventure is to be found on the consoles, as they recently announced the upcoming release of Verdun on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Verdun has attracted over 460,000 players and won several awards including: IndieDB Editors Choice; Best Multiplayer 2015, Best Economic Achievement Award 2015, Control Industry Award 2015, the NWTV award; Best Dutch game 2014, and #5 Top Upcoming Indie Games of 2014 as voted by the IndieDB community.

About M2H:
M2H are veterans when it comes to developing games. In 2009, the brothers Hergaarden founded their studio, specializing in 3D Unity multiplayer games. This bold approach resulted in many successful Android, iOS, Web and Standalone games. Their mobile games have been downloaded more than 20 million times already, and their web portal Wooglie.com, which hosts third-party Unity games as well as their own self-developed games, has over 2 million unique monthly visitors. M2H has won several Dutch Global Game Jam awards for their games including an audience and jury award. M2H recently released their multiplayer party game Marooners. For more information visit www.M2H.nl.

About Blackmill Games:
Blackmill Games is a studio specialized in Unity3D game development. It was founded in 2013 by Jos Hoebe, a software engineer with a broad set of game design and development skills. The studio gained experience in the mod-scene and with the development of the music game MokMok. The affinity Blackmill Games have with authentic historical games can be seen in their first game; Verdun. Blackmill Games is a studio that puts the user experience first and makes sure to drive this force behind every step of the design decision-making process. It didn’t make the European Develop 100 for nothing!
For more information, please visit www.BlackmillGames.com.