Dear Friends,
1C Game Studios is proud to announce our next combat theater in the IL-2 Sturmovik: Great Battles series of products – Battle of Normandy!
It was just over 75 years ago that the western Allies launched joint airborne and amphibious landings in the Normandy region of France. Both the preparation and execution of the invasion of Normandy had a large air component and involved many airfields in the UK and in France, especially after the Allies landed and built many Advanced Landing Grounds. Some German-built and occupied airfields were captured, repaired and re-used by the Allies as they advanced.
The Allied advance towards Paris and eventually Germany was not easy and air-power was heavily employed to help facilitate a breakout. The Germans had a very difficult time keeping their hold on France and were faced with defending against not only Allied fighters, but also dedicated ground attackers, bombers and even naval units. The history of this battle makes for a lot of interesting gameplay. We hope to bring this period of the war to life like never before, just like we have done with Battle of Bodenplatte and our previous Eastern Front titles. Due to its important location, Battle of Normandy opens up additional mission scenarios and a vast timeline for great aerial warfare action utilizing many aircraft and content from our previous titles. Plus, Battle of Normandy adds a lot of content that can be utilized in our Battle of Bodenplatte environment.
Content
Battle of Normandy, will continue to offer a wide variety of gameplay options and also push our product forward with additional technology, features and improvements. We will of course, have an awesome plane-set that represents the era in which the title takes place. It will also include all the features that is standard for our WWII titles such as QMB, Pilot Career, Custom SP Missions and Multiplayer support. We also plan to include a Scripted Campaign focusing on a specific part of the battle. See below for additional information.
Battle of Normandy Plane-set:
- P-51 B/C
- P-47D “Razorback”
- Typhoon Mk.Ib
- Mosquito F.B. Mk.VI
- Spifire Mk.XIV (Collector Plane)
- C-47 Dakota (AI)
- B-26 Marauder (AI)
- Bf-109 G-6 “Late”
- Fw-190 A-6
- Ju-88 C-6a
- Me-410
- Ar-234 (Collector Plane)
- V-1 Buzz Bomb (AI)
This is what we plan to build based on our current research and desires. Of course, if for any reason one of these planes cannot be built to our satisfaction, we will find a suitable replacement.
Normandy Map
To support this particular Great Battle, we plan to build numerous ground vehicles, tanks, paratroopers, artillery, bunkers, objects, obstacles, buildings, airfields and ships that will bring flying such dangerous missions to life.
The map of Battle of Normandy is also planned to be very satisfying in its size, scope and detail. Substantial portions of Southern England, Normandy and Calais regions will be included. We plan to have two versions of the map. There will be both pre-Invasion and post-Invasion versions. This allows us the ability to have our Pilot Career span the period preparing for the invasion and post D-Day events. It also allows us to create scenarios that are even further removed from the invasion itself and explore the 1942-43 period with some assets from our previous titles and certain Collector Planes. The gameplay possibilities are quite exciting to us and we hope to you as well.
In addition to the content we plan to create, we will also continue to improve our Digital Warfare Engine and add some ‘in the works’ features that were not ready for BOBP release. This includes such items as, Air Marshal, improved MP Lobby, GUI-based Object Viewer, new rendering techniques and drop-tanks. Of course, this is on top of all the numerous small improvements, tweaks, fixes and enhancements we will continue to work on. We never stop working to improve our products and simulation engine.
BON Pre-Order Available!
To kick off Battle of Normandy development we have launched the Pre-Order period today! Our Pre-Order discounted price is $10 Off MSRP at $79.99 for the Premium Edition until the Pre-Order/Early Access period ends. The final MSRP at time of release of Battle of Normandy Premium Edition will be $89.99.
Pre-Order Battle of Normandy Here
We hope you are as excited as we are to build Battle of Normandy. When it comes to WWII, there are many interesting theaters, time periods and events that would make for an awesome product. There are also many fascinating conflicts outside of WWII that could make for a really fun combat simulation. We have considered them all. However, we have chosen Normandy as our next destination so we can explore one of the most famous battles in history and Normandy will allow for a more complete accounting of the air war over Europe (East and West) which gives you the player a more complete experience. Building Battle of Normandy also allows both the developers and the community to utilize some of our existing content to expand your gameplay options even more.
We also wish you the absolute best this Holiday Season to you, your family, your friends and our dedicated development partners all over the world. We appreciate all the support and nice words you have said about our products during this most recent development cycle which was a lot of hard work. We will continue to build a better product, grow the team a bit more and listen to you, our loyal customers.
Hurricane Mk.II, Yak-9 and Yak-9T Pre-Order Available
We are proud to announce that we have begun taking Pre-Orders for the Yak-9, Yak-9T and Hurricane Mk.II Collector Planes.
The legendary British-built Hurricane came to fame during the Battle of Britain where it did the heavy lifting for the RAF in that pivotal battle. The Hurricane Mk.II series which consisted of the a,b,c and d variants was outfitted with a few different armament configurations. This included either the 12 x .303 machine guns in the wings or 4 x 20mm Hispano cannons also fitted in the wings. Many of the Mk.II’s were of the ‘Hurribomber’ variety with wing racks for 250lb or 500lb bombs. One later variant could also carry two 40mm cannons for anti-armor duty. The Hurricane was built in large numbers and the Mk.II series was sent to all corners of the war to fly and fight, including the Eastern Front where the Soviet VVS put them to good use in several sectors. Pre-Order this legendary plane today right HERE!
The Yak-9 was the first model in the most mass-produced family of the WWII Soviet fighters - with its many modifications the total amount of units produced reached 16,769. The work on the new long-range recon and fighter plane began in the Yakovlev design bureau during Spring 1942. Compared to the earlier Ya-7, it had a boosted M-105PF engine, a lighter wing of composite structure, and the lower spine with a bubble canopy that significantly improved the rearward visibility. However, the armament was reduced to one nose-mounted 12.7mm UBS MG and one engine-mounted 20mm SHVAK cannon firing through the propeller hub. The mass production of the new fighter and its arrival to the front-line units begun only in 1943. In combat, the Yak-9 proved itself as very maneuverable and easy to control fighter, earning the love and respect of many Soviet pilots along with volunteer French from the Normandie Niemen fighter regiment. Pre-Order this Soviet ace-maker HERE!
An important variant of the Yak-9 family was the Yak-9T (tank), which appeared in early 1943. In addition to one 12.7mm UBS MG it was armed with a 37mm engine-mounted cannon model 11P (later NS-37) instead of the usual 20mm SHVAK. The installation of such a heavy and large weapon required reinforcing the airframe in the nose section and moving the pilot cabin 40cm (1.31 ft.) rearward, which resulted in worse forward and underside visibility. Combat trials showed that Yak-9T is capable of not only engaging bombers and various ground targets, but it could also hold its own as dogfighter. Its flight characteristics were only marginally worse than Yak-9 while packing a much bigger punch. Its production started in March 1943 and ended only in June 1945 with a total of 2,748 units produced. Pre-Order your tank-killing Yak right HERE!
BOBP, P-38J-25, Fw-190 D-9 and FC Steam Release Date
We are thrilled to announce that Battle of Bodenplatte and Flying Circus are coming to the Steam store immediately after the Autumn Sale ends. We are aiming for December 3rd 2019 for the release. The BOBP release on Steam will be the Standard Edition with the two additional Collector Planes being sold separately. Flying Circus will include all ten aircraft, same as on our website. Each product will have a launch discount equivalent to the current Early Access discount enjoyed by customers on our website. The prices are as follows.
Battle of Bodenplatte on Steam - $44.99 (Reg. $49.99)
P-38J-25 Collector Plane - $17.49 (Reg. $19.99)
Fw-190 D-9 Collector Plane - $17.49 (Reg. $19.99)
Flying Circus on Steam - $69.99 (Reg. $79.99)
Note: The launch discounts on Steam will be in effect for two weeks once launched.
BOBP Standard Edition, P-38J-25 and Fw-190 D-9 Website Release
We are also happy to announce that we are releasing the Standard Edition of BOBP along with the P-38J-25 and Fw-190 D-9 Collector Planes in the Official Webstore on Dec. 3rd. We will also offer an equivalent Launch Discount for these three items until December 17th, 2019.
The Autumn Sale
It is here to officially kick-off the Holiday Shopping Season and we are giving you the opportunity to purchase our older Great Battles modules, Scripted Campaigns and Collector Planes for an amazing 75% OFF! Our latest Scripted Campaign Achtung Spitfire! is 25% Off.
No doubt you will want to pick up our latest titles, but in case you don’t already own some of our previous titles, this makes it a perfect time! Remember, these make great Christmas gifts for friends, family or wingmates!
Nov. 26th - Dec. 3rd 2019 in IL-2 Webstore
Nov. 26th - Dec. 3rd 2019 on Steam
BOS – 75% OFF (IL-2 Webstore and Steam)
BOM – 75% OFF (IL-2 Webstore and Steam)
BOK – 75% OFF (IL-2 Webstore and Steam)
All Collector Planes = 75% OFF (IL-2 Webstore and Steam) (Excludes Yak-9, Yak-9T and Hurricane)
Blazing Steppe – 75% OFF (IL-2 Webstore and Steam)
Fortress on the Volga – 75% OFF (IL-2 Webstore and Steam)
Ten Days of August – 75% OFF (IL-2 Webstore Only)
Havoc Over the Kuban – 75% OFF (IL-2 Webstore Only)
Achtung Spitfire! – 25% OFF (IL-2 Webstore Only)
Cliffs of Dover: BLITZ – 75% Off (IL-2 Webstore Only)
All Rise of Flight Content – 75% OFF (ROF Webstore and Steam)
Early Access Discount for BOBP Premium and FC Extended in the IL-2 Webstore
And finally, we have extended the Early Access discount of $10 Off for BOBP and FC in the Official Webstore until December 17th, 2019. After that date the price will rise to its standard price of $79.99 and likely remain there for an extended time. Hurry if you have not already taken advantage of this great deal before it expires! Grab your copy HERE and HERE!