Steel Division 2 News

Happy New Year, commander,

It’s good to be back! We’ve got a feeling 2022 is going to be a kick-ass year! We hope the holidays were delightful (or are still delivering the goods, lucky you) and that you had your batteries recharged, plenty of food in your stomach, and managed to get some good ‘ole fun time on the Steel Division 2 battlefields!

We will start the new year with a recap of the one that came to pass. And as promised, we can finally reveal the release date for our latest expansion, Tribute to the Liberation of Italy. Keep reading to find out more!

[h2]January 2021 - Nemesis #3[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1477780/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_3__Battle_of_Rimini/

First up, and close to a year ago, we released our Nemesis: Battle of Rimini DLC. Our premier Italian influenced mini-expansion, we brought you two new Divisions from Operation Olive. This Allied offensive tried to break through the Gothic defensive line on the Adriatic coast in September 1944. It pitted the hybrid-combined arms 2nd New Zealand Division against the veteran paratroopers of the 1. Fallschirmjäger.

New toys included the British Bristol Beaufighter heavy fighter, Greek Martin Baltimore bomber, German (captured) Re.2005 fighter, as well as various new infantry units such as Greek Oplites mountain infantry, and New Zealander Maori.



[h2]April 2021 - Burning Baltics[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1418231/Steel_Division_2__Burning_Baltics/

Ah, our fourth major History Expansion! Burning Baltics released at the end of April. By the summer of 1944, the war had come to the Baltics. This expansion featured a variety of unique new Divisions, tons of new units, new nations, and a new Army General campaign focused on one of the last (successful) Axis counter-offensives on the Eastern Front, Operation Doppelkopf.

With Burning Baltics you got to play with eight new Divisions, from the famous Axis "Grossdeutschland" and "Nordland", to the ad-hoc Panzerverband Strachwitz and the 52. Sicherungs-Division z.b.V.. The Allies received the veteran Soviet 19th Tank Corps, the Mobile Group Fedyunkin, the Estonian 7th Rifle Division and the 43rd Army's Reserve battlegroups.



[h2]July 2021 - Nemesis #4[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1571590/Steel_Division_2__Nemesis_4__Storming_Toulon/

We hit our stride with our Nemesis DLCs number four, taking inspiration from the Allied invasion of the swooning and sweltry French Riviera (it is home, after all) in the summer of 1944. Two new interesting divisions, the Axis garrison troops of Verteidigungsbereich Toulon and the Allied French 1e Division Française Libre found their way into Steel Division 2.

We featured a bunch of new units, including Kriegsmarine Marineinfanterie, Commandos d'Afrique special forces, heavy Flak 38 105mm guns, Flakzwilling 37mm, M6 Fargo, and M3 Gun 37mm.



[h2]November 2021 - Reinforcement Pack 12[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810030/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_12__Kostritza/

Things quieted down in the latter part of the year. One of the main reasons was that we were working on several projects simultaneously, including Tribute to the Liberation of Italy, the new Nemesis: Raid on Drvar and a new Nation Pack: South Africa for Wargame Red Dragon. Behind the scenes, we were also preparing ourselves for the upcoming reveal of our new World War III battle simulator, WARNO.

We launched a new map as part of a free Reinforcement Pack. Kostritza was previously featured as a “showcase” map, but never intended for gameplay use. We dusted it off, gave it a lick of paint, and released it to our fans to make up for some of the developmental delays.



[h2]December 2021 - Reinforcement Pack 13[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810031/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_13__Lucky_13/

We weren’t done quite yet! In the last month of the year, we dropped another free Reinforcement Pack, aptly named Lucky 13 DLC. This featured two new Divisions: the Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the fast-moving Allied Task Force Butler. A bunch of interesting new units were deployed as well, such as the Panzer 38(t) light tank, Volksturm squads, M3A1 Cavalry recon half-track, and OSS elite special forces.



[h2]What’s coming next?[/h2]
We have our next major expansion on the near horizon: Tribute to the Liberation of Italy. You have been itching for a release date. We are happy to tell you that February 3rd will be the launch day!

We’ve already transitioned to the next project, Nemesis: Raid on Drvar DLC. No concrete details yet on when to expect it, but it will come in the not-too-distant future!



And as already hinted, we’re also already at work on our next Army General DLC. But we’ll tell you more about this soon …

[h2]Bidding you goodbye![/h2]
Happy to have been able to start the new year together, commander!

Don’t forget to keep a close watch on our Steam forums to keep up to date with the latest discussions. Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you soon!

Hello commander!

We hope you are doing well. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the entire team, but it proved to be a fitting end to an already busy and productive year!

As is our Steel Division 2 custom (the third one in a row already!), we are going to leave you for a (short) break before returning in full force in 2022. We’ll recharge the batteries over Christmas and be back before you know it in the first week of the new year.

[h2]A New Game[/h2]
It’s been a heck of a ride, but we pulled it off! We revealed our brand-new game, the World War III battle simulator WARNO (which stands for Warning Order), last Friday. The unveiling didn’t go down without a hitch, of course, which is always the case. For instance, the Steam page was unable to be published for some hours, but we got everything sorted in the end. If you have missed it, be sure to wishlist WARNO and get ready for the Early Access launch on January 20th.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1611600/WARNO/

We know quite a few of you have been clamoring to know what this means for Steel Division 2. We said it before, and we’ll say it again, but we will continue to work on our World War II game in the same way we have done in the last two-and-a-half years. There is no change in plans, no radical departure from our schedule; you will still have your weekly blog post, and we are still planning, developing, and creating exciting new content for Steel Divison 2. Yes, this means new Nemesis DLCs, new units, new divisions, a new Army General campaign, new expansions, and much more.

Do not worry: Steel Division 2 is a game that thrives, and we are 100% committed to keeping it that way for the foreseeable future.

[h2]Tribute to the Liberation of Italy[/h2]
You will have to wait a bit longer to get to play with our latest expansion, the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy. It won’t be until the new year that we’ll be able to launch it. Expect a release date when we are back! In the meantime, look at those mosaics of some new infantry & vehicles.





The Strike Team is currently busy play testing and checking new units and divisions. They are all in a good place now. In the next couple of days, they should receive the greenlight to stream freely the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion. And you know what that means: a release will shortly be upon us.

We have also moved most of our attention on the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar DLC. Once again, more information will come in the future. Expect the launch soon after the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion.



[h2]We bid you adieu![/h2]
That is everything for this week and year! We will see you on the other side, commander. It’s been a pleasure, and let’s try to make 2022 a better year than the ones that came before (hopefully shouldn’t be too difficult).

From the whole Eugen Systems team: we wish you happy holidays and all the best for 2022. We will be back in the first week of January.

Don’t forget to keep a close watch on our Steam forums to keep up to date with the latest discussions. Looking for an online game? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

As always: see you on the battlefield, commander!

Hello commander,

There it is! We have revealed today what we have been working on for quite some time: WARNO, our next-gen World War III battle simulator.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1611600/WARNO/

Some of you dedicated readers of this blog were right (others, not so much) in that we were developing a new Cold War-era game.

In case you missed it, be sure to check out WARNO’s reveal trailer.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

What does this mean for Steel Division 2? As a matter of fact, not much. Of course, we hope to entice you to go over and play WARNO when it launches into Steam Early Access on January 20, but we still have plenty of content planned for our World War II game. We don’t only have the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion coming soon, but also the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar DLC and more. Don’t expect us to stop developing for Steel Division 2 any time shortly!

We have learned a lot, and improving and updating Steel Division 2 has been a genuine joy for the team at Eugen Systems. With WARNO, we implemented some of these lessons learned. For instance, our new game will feature elements such as the Army General strategic campaigns, division-based battlegroup builder, Rules of Engagements and Smart Orders, and more.

We hope you will join us on our new journey. Be sure to wishlist WARNO (if you haven’t done so) as you get ready for action on the 20th of January! If you want to keep up to date, don’t forget to check out our dedicated Discord server or WARNO’s own Steam forums.

Until next week’s blog post. Adieu, commander!

Are you ready, commander?

The wait is almost over. Yes, that’s right, Christmas will come early as tomorrow (Friday the 17th of December) we will be officially unveiling what we have been working on so hard (and in secret) the last couple of months and years!



It is so close, you can almost touch it! Undoubtedly, you sleuths will have the answer soon, but be sure to tune in and check our channels, including this space and our Discord server for the big reveal.

You will not be disappointed…

But onwards to other exciting things, as we go back to good ‘ol Steel Division 2. More specifically, let’s look at some new Allied units for our upcoming expansion, Tribute to the Liberation of Italy.

[h2]The Italian Meatgrinder[/h2]
Italy during World War II was not particularly known as a tank country thanks to the local topography, with its mountains and hilly countryside. The Italian campaign was an infantry’s war; but whoever says infantry, has to say artillery.

With the pace of operations and offensives on the Italian peninsula being much slower than other theaters of war, massive amounts of artillery guns and ordnance of all types were used by the Allies. This includes the U.S. M1 155mm (predecessor to the infamous Long Tom) and the M1 8-inch 203mm, as well as the British BL 4,5-inch 114mm guns (also featured in the South African divisions in-game).



Another key feature of the more static Italian battlefields was the use of heavy AA guns on the frontline. These were usually kept in the rear by the Allies, but as Axis air forces posed less threat, more of these formidable guns were used in a direct fire role. The Allies could count on the U.S. M2 90mm and British (manned by South African crews) QF 3,7-inch 94mm dual-purpose AA guns. The American unit is slightly superior to the famous German 88mm in an AT role; the British gun (which we presented earlier as somewhat worse) was actually better than the previous two examples. Its downside was that it carried only a handful of AT shells (in real-life, often none) and was hampered by inferior targeting optics.



[h2]Going Sky High[/h2]
Aside from new Allied Co-Belligerent Italian plane models, which we showcased in the blog post here, the Allies most original plane in the Italian campaign was the tank-busting RAF Hurricane Mk IV. This close air support aircraft sported two Vickers 40mm S guns. With a deadly pedigree as a tank killer in the North African deserts, by 1944 it was replaced by rocket-firing Typhoons, with only a few Hurricane Mk IVs remaining over the Adriatic and Balkans. Consider this tank buster a formidable counterpart to the German “Panzervögel” Stuka G-2 or Soviet IL-2-37.

In-game, this particular unit (as well as its bomb-fielding variant) will be featured as a close air support aircraft with the 8th Indian (Infantry) Division. It will also be deployable in our upcoming Nemesis: Raid on Drvar DLC.



Another new major plane variant includes the Boston Mk IV (British designation) / A-20J-5-DO Havoc (US designation). This aircraft carries a substantial increase in the number of close-defense MG compared to the existing Mk III. It will also be featured with both the 8th Indian (Infantry) Division (as a bomber) and Task Force 45 (as heavy recon).

There is also a new napalm P-47 variant, the P-47D-22-RE which flies with a new paint job and camo.

We have also taken the opportunity to improve various in-game models which were noted (either by the Strike Team or our community) as being incorrect, including the Mosquito PR Mk XVI and the Wildcat Mk V.



[h2]Back to Earth[/h2]
Not being tank country doesn’t mean tanks didn’t serve with distinction in Italy. The Allied forces could count on the usual combination of Shermans, Stuarts, M3 and M5 half-tracks, and some indigenous variants here and there. Like the artillery-fire capable South African M10.

Lighter vehicles also made their way to the Mediterranean front. This includes the Indian recon ACV-IP (Armoured Carrier, Wheeled - Indian Pattern), as well as the 6-pdr Portee 57mm light tank destroyer. This is a South African battlefield conversion, say a scratch-built technical, merging a 6-pdr AT gun onto a Bedford lorry. The gun was mounted so it could fire to the front, over the driver’s cabin.



[h2]Some New Map Variants[/h2]
We are also working on a new “tactical” variant of the recently released Kostritsa map. This one will be slightly reduced in size, to be played with a lower income. This map version also allows you to micro smaller numbers of units to get a more intense “company-level” feel to the battle.

Also, thanks to feedback from the community and our Strike Team, we are improving the Ostrowno map by reworking the positioning of some of the objectives.

[h2]Until next time[/h2]
That is everything for this week. We hope to see you soon (say… tomorrow?)!

Don’t forget to keep a close watch on our ourSteam forums, or check our Facebook and Twitter channels. Looking for an online game in the meantime? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

See you soon, commander!

Hello commander!

We are back with some more news about the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion. Like the busy bees we are, our much-appreciated Strike Team is currently hard at work testing and helping us fine-tune our latest offering. We can’t tell you - yet - when the expansion will launch (read the full reason at the bottom of this post… *wink*).

Instead, today we take to the sky with the two new Aces featured in our upcoming expansion. Rather uniquely, we have our high-scoring pilots squaring off from the same nation. These daring flyboys fought for two different sides during the war: Mussolini’s Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR, or National Republican Air Force) and the Allied Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI, or Italian Co-belligerent Air Force).

Let’s welcome to the stage ANR’s Tenente Ugo Drago and ACI’s Sergente Maggiore Teresio Martinoli.

If you want to read more about the airpower included in the Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion, check out this detailed DevBlog here.

[h2]Ugo Drago[/h2]
Lieutenant (Tenente) Ugo Drago is our first Ace, fighting for the Axis ANR. He started as a biplane pilot on the CR.42 Falco, scoring his first confirmed kill during the Greek-Italian War where he shot down a Greek biplane fighter. Three weeks after this feat, he single-handedly fought off five enemy biplanes, escaping by the skin of his teeth.



Transferring to a Macchi C.200 and deployed in North Africa in 1941, by the end of the year he had flown 150 missions. When the Armistice was signed in 1943, he didn’t directly join the RSI. Instead, he tried to contact his family but was arrested by the Germans, who pressured him hard to fly in the Luftwaffe. He refused, and as a result, was shipped to a prison camp in Germany. On the way, he escaped. When hearing of Mussolini’s air force, the ANR, he reappeared. Immediately reinstated as a pilot officer, he flew first on the G.55 Centauro before transferring to a German Me-109.

He ended his World War II career with 17 claimed kills, 4 of which he achieved by flying biplanes.

In Steel Division 2, Ugo Drago is featured with the G.55 Centauro.



[h2]Teresio Martinoli[/h2]
Much like his Axis counterpart, Sergeant Major (Sergente Maggiore) Teresio Martinoli started as a biplane pilot for the Regia Aeronautica, once more in the cockpit of a CR.42 Falco fighter. He claimed his first three victories at the beginning of Italy’s entry into World War II in 1940, including a French bomber over Tunisia. He followed his first kill by shooting down an RAF Gloster Gladiator later in the year over Egypt.



He too transferred to the Macchi C.200, flying fighter sweeps over Malta, during which he claimed four British planes in just two months. He claimed a further four in 1942 before rotating back to North Africa, where he shot down four more. Defending Sicily during the Allied invasion in 1943, after the Armistice he joined the Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana (ACI). He flew missions against the Luftwaffe over the Balkan, where he fought and shot down at least one more plane.

Martinoli’s total of 22 kills painted on his plane included four different nations, from both sides: France, UK, USA and Germany. During the war, Martinoli shot down an eclectic array of planes, from Gloster Gladiators to Hawker Hurricanes, Spitfires, P-38 Lightning, a B-17 Flying Fortress, and even a Junkers Ju 52. On August 23rd, 1944, he died in an accidental crash while converting on P-39 Airacobra.

In Steel Division 2, Teresio Martinoli is featured with the C.205V Veltro.



[h2]Other news[/h2]
In case you missed it, we have recently released two new free Reinforcement Packs: the new Kostriza map and Lucky 13, bringing two free divisions to our game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810030/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_12__Kostritza/

If you want to read more about the Axis Panzerdivision Tatra and the Allied Task Force Butler, be sure to check out this blog post here.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1810031/Steel_Division_2__Reinforcement_Pack_13__Lucky_13/

[h2]Until next time[/h2]
That’s it for this week. We know you might be clamoring for more details about our upcoming Tribute to the Liberation of Italy expansion and the Nemesis: Raid on Drvar DLC, but you need to hang on tight a little bit longer.

What we can do is lift the tip of the veil on something else though. We have been hard at work on our secret project, and we are getting ready for a big call to arms in the very near future! Things are moving fast, so keep a very close eye on our Steam forums and Eugen forums, or check our Facebook and Twitter channels. Looking for an online game in the meantime? Visit the kick-ass Discord server or Reddit page.

New battlefields lie around the corner, commander. Get ready!