Normally known for their quirky Japanese RPG styled games, including a little known franchise by the name of Final Fantasy, Square Enix has recently made a big push into the PC gaming scene.

First they showed off The Last Remnant as an Xbox 360 and Games For Windows title, and now Square Enix has partnered up with Wargaming.net to produce a PC exclusive WWII RTS title, Order of War.  Order of War will focus on large scale battles in World War II, with around a thousand units on screen at any one time.  The goal is to give a scope of size of conflict, as most battles in World War II involved hundreds if not thousands of units at any one time.

Order of War looks to be a serious competitor to the venerable Company of Heroes franchise which up to this point, has had free reign as the WWII RTS game to play.  It is also the first time that I can remember Square Enix putting an exclusive PC only title out.  Look for Order of War on shelves Fall of 2009.

Square Enix Announces ORDER OF WAR, A New Western-Developed WWII Real-Time Strategy Game

LOS ANGELES, April 16 /PRNewswire/ — Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix(R) interactive entertainment products in North America, announced today a new agreement with strategy game specialist Wargaming.net to publish a brand new IP set during World War II. ORDER OF WAR(TM) will be released on Windows PC across all North American territories in Fall 2009.

ORDER OF WAR will feature massive-scale battles brought to life with a cinematic intensity never seen before in a WWII strategy game. Players will take command of an entire army including ground troops, artillery, tank divisions and aircraft in all-out strategic assaults. The single-player mode can be played out in two campaigns – American versus German forces on the western front and German versus Russian on the eastern front. Missions will be based on key historic events and operations from 1944.

ORDER OF WAR will be Square Enix’s first release of a western-developed game outside of Japan. It will also see the company’s first simultaneous release across multiple territories.

John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix, Inc. comments, “ORDER OF WAR offers Square Enix an exciting opportunity to enter this hugely popular genre, and is a strong proposition for our first western-developed release. With its cinematic intensity, hugely realistic battles and historical accuracy, the game looks set to whet the appetite of any war-gaming fan.”

Victor Kislyi, chief executive officer of Wargaming.net says, “ORDER OF WAR will take strategy games in a new, exciting direction, narrowing the gameplay focus on the best part and challenges gamers to defeat the most powerful armies of WWII. And we are really glad that this immense title will be released by Square Enix – one of the largest and most successful publishers in the world.”

About ORDER OF WAR

In the summer of 1944, the Second World War entered its end-game when the Allies launched two major operations that would drive back German forces on both the Western and Eastern Fronts at once.

In the ultimate test of military strategy, ORDER OF WAR will challenge you not only to lead America’s finest to victory in the west, but also place you in command of German forces charged with repelling the Red Army’s seemingly unstoppable offensive in the east.

Even the keenest military minds will find that it’s one thing to make history, but quite another to change it.

Do you have what it takes to command?

Features

– Experience WWII warfare on an epic, cinematic stage; that truly
captures the intensity and scale of the battlefield
– Command of an entire armed force consisting of up to 1,000 soldiers,
tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and air planes
– Players can choose between two different campaign modes offering
completely different storylines, missions, objectives and environments
– Experience the unique dynamic camera that allows players to command
troops over huge geographical scale whilst maintaining movie-like
vistas and detail
– In-depth gameplay mode: two different campaign modes, multi-player,
Deathmatch and Skirmish
For more information on ORDER OF WAR please visit the official website at http://www.orderofwar.com/.

About Wargaming.net

Based in London with development in Belarus, Wargaming.net is a strategy game development company operating since 1998. The company developed the highly acclaimed Massive Assault series, including Massive Assault, Massive Assault Network, Massive Assault: Phantom Renaissance and Massive Assault Network 2. Wargaming.net has also developed “Galactic Assault”, a turn-based strategy based on the famous sci-fi universe by Strugatsky Brothers. In November 2007 Wargaming.net acquired Arise, an independent PC game developer. The company’s motto is “Strategic Satisfaction”.

About Square Enix Co., Ltd. and Square Enix, Inc.

Square Enix Co., Ltd. (Square Enix), with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, develops, publishes and distributes entertainment content including interactive entertainment software and publications in Asia, North America and Europe. Square Enix brings two of Japan’s best-selling franchises — FINAL FANTASY(R), which has sold over 85 million units worldwide, and DRAGON QUEST(R), which has sold over 47 million units worldwide — under one roof. Square Enix is one of the most influential providers of digital entertainment content in the world and continues to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

Square Enix, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. with offices in Los Angeles, California. It handles operations in North America, including development, localization, marketing and publishing of Square Enix titles. More information on Square Enix can be found on the Internet at http://www.square-enix.com/.

ORDER OF WAR is a trademark of Wargaming.net. Published and distributed by SQUARE ENIX under license from Wargaming.net. Games for Windows, Windows, Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from the owner. DRAGON QUEST, FINAL FANTASY, SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries.