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Press release:
ALKMAAR, THE NETHERLANDS – April 16, 2020 – Blackmill Games and M2H has just announced the “Film Memoir” mode for their WW1-themed FPS games “Tannenberg” and “Verdun“.

Experience the authentic WW1 shooters like in the movie reels that were made during and after the war!

Inspired by Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old, where historical footage of the Great War was colorized, the developers of the WW1 Game Series now introduce the reverse: a black and white movie reel like experience for the squad-based first person shooter in both Tannenberg and Verdun.

See the First World War as civilian audiences of the time would have done, and experience firsthand the challenges reporters would have faced in capturing powerful images in only black and white. This feature is available for all players from April 16 – 26. After that it will become a feature of the Supporter Editions.

During 1914-1915 the equipment and use of military photographers varied widely, with countries like Germany embracing the relatively new technology while the British only employed a handful of official war photographers.

However, personal cameras were beginning to become more widely available, so the official photographs didn’t have a monopoly on documenting the war – many soldiers smuggled cameras to the frontlines. From 1916 onwards, professional war photography expanded greatly, including filming for documentary or propaganda purposes.

When we think of WW1, we tend to think of it as monochrome because of the black and white images. Peter Jackson’s movie They Shall Not Grow Old served as a welcome corrective to this thanks to extensively and diligently colorized movie reels and photographs.

The film offers a real insight into how the scale and human suffering of this often forgotten war would have appeared to those fighting it. Our games Tannenberg and Verdun are already in color, which gave us the opportunity to do something a little different…

Film Memoir Mode
As an homage to the priceless original photo and movie material created by those documenting the First World War as professionals or amateurs, we’ve developed a new mode for Tannenberg and Verdun that changes the visuals and experience of the game to match what a movie of those times looked like.

The Film Memoir mode is intended to be another authentic detail like those seen throughout the games, where a lot of time has been spent to ensure that weapons, uniforms and equipment are as accurate as possible. More than that, it was an opportunity to shine some light on the talent of the photographers and filmmakers who worked to document the events of 1914-1918

With Film Memoir enabled, players will see the world in high contrast black and white, with an old movie filter and sound effects layered on top to make the experience complete.

The challenges of getting good photographs or film footage in black and white shouldn’t be underestimated, and now players can experience a little of that themselves. Playing the game with this authentic old movie experience activated will also give players quite a challenge – or it can be activated while observing a battle, so the perfect (camera) shots can be lined up without any worries about getting sniped.

All Verdun and Tannenberg players can enjoy this mode from April 16th until April 26th. After that it will become a feature of the Supporter Editions. Additionally, a small competition will be held during this period with prizes for the Best Short Film, Best Photograph and Best Story. All aspiring military photographers and filmmakers are encouraged to enlist today!

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