What do tanks, warplanes and anime all have in common? How can you study history through gaming, and who are the people responsible for creating an entire virtual world of magnificent armored machinery? Thanks to Wargaming.net, millions of gamers learn the craft of war while playing their historically accurate video games. They were created in the heart of Europe, but have gained popularity worldwide. Wargaming games have literally conquered the continents and the hearts of many gamers. The formula for success is quite simple and has a Whopper among its ingredients.
Why are Wargaming Games So Popular?
Many of you know Wargaming as an international studio that brought to life such masterpieces as World of Tanks and World of Warships. These games have millions of dedicated fans around the world. US, China, EU and especially Russian-speaking countries have been enchanted by the products of Wargaming for years.
Like anything great, Wargaming started with a big idea. They wanted to create a massive war game that would bring back to life the legendary war machines of the past. They also aimed to recreate every important battle in the modern world with great attention to detail and on the largest scale possible. It is safe to say, the studio achieved its goal and increased its fan base far beyond the borders of Belarus - the cradle of the game industry giant.
The first attempt to create a perfect war game began in 2003. That year, Wargaming presented the audience with their first 3D game called Massive Assault. For that time, the game was revolutionary since it included detailed maps, a big selection of war machines, and impressive 3D graphics. Through the years, the game had some updates and spin-offs. The most recent of which is Massive Assault: Phantom Renaissance. Wargaming’s real claim to fame, however, came with the release of World of Tanks in 2010. It immediately became a hit in Eastern Europe, but quickly gained a fan base worldwide. Being the creation of Belarusian developers, the game was destined to become a hit in the Post-Soviet regions, due to their victorious past in World War II. Not to mention, their affection for local games with massively multiplayer online options.
The Power of Tank Burgers
If you want to advertise your products, then do it strategically. That was the idea behind every marketing campaign unfolded by Wargaming over the past few years. Every campaign led to a fantastic leap in sales in the targeted regions. That’s how the fruitful cooperation with Burger King in Eastern Europe started. It led to the creation of the most popular burger in Belarus, Russia and Poland: the T-34-sized super tasty “Tank Burger”. Since the Burger King franchise is unbelievably popular in the Post-Soviet countries, the fast-food chain and Wargaming developers strategically collaborated. They combined their best-selling burger, the Whopper, and World of Tanks advertising into a perfect burger campaign. The idea is simple: you buy a humongous burger in your favorite fast-food chain and get a proportional amount of Wargaming Gold and some other upgrades to enhance your digital war machine! It immediately took off and began drawing the sales while also attracting new gamers to the platform.
World of Tanks - Heavy Metal
The art of pairing music and games is not new, so why not make it the topic of one of your biggest marketing campaigns? And that’s exactly what Wargaming did. Combine a Swedish metal band that sings about historic battles and a military simulator game - and the rest is history. Wargaming and the band, Sabaton, teamed up in 2017 and the collaboration between them resulted in several advantages for both parties. One being multiple concerts by Sabaton for visitors of Gamescom in Cologne, the biggest gaming convention in Europe. They also worked together to get their own Primo Victoria tank, a limited edition Swedish Centurion tank, in World of Tanks that players could purchase in-game. That was not all, because the band members were even immortalized in the game as the crew of this tank. Wargaming also supported the band to create high-production official music videos. And the campaign is still going strong. They continue pleasing the fans with new content and exciting metal music to pair perfectly with their gameplay.
Panzer Anime
While the idea of how to promote a burger on the home front was pretty clear, the Asian market posed a challenge back in the day. But even there, Wargaming absolutely nailed it. They supported the launch of a thematic anime series called Girls und Panzer and High School Fleet. And what was next? Manga-esque instructions in Japanese, Chinese, Thai and English to promote new products and help beginner users to understand their games better.
Seems like an ultimate plan for gaming industry dominance? Right? Not quite yet. Not everyone might like anime and giant burgers. What other markets could Wargaming step into? What about superheroes and series or, even better, superheroes in series! That’s how collaboration with Amazon Prime was started. The result of this fruitful work made the fans of the Boys series go crazy because they could join the WoT gamers army and match theirs to the personality of their favorite character from the superheroic series.
Wargaming: The Future of Gaming in a Tankshell
Many experts agree that the future of sports lies in esports. Wargaming is taking note. The company is actively promoting the idea of different online tournaments. Ones where gamers from different countries can battle against one another to compete for a prize or contribute to a charity. Yet another smart marketing move to expand product sales and promote the values of the company.
All in all, the phenomenon of free-to-play games that helped propel Wargaming is nothing short of fascinating. It proves the idea that you can monetize literally anything on this planet, by having a creative approach and a strong marketing team to implement it.
Since you now have a behind-the-scenes look at Wargaming, it’s time to jump into your tank and join the forces with other gamers in any of the upcoming tournaments. Do you want to upgrade your tank, ship or crew and get the best out of these games? Then try out a Wargaming Gift Card. More into the classic titles from Wargaming? Just buy a Steam Gift Card and get ready to play Massive Assault. In other words: enough talking - let’s battle!
