Matrix Games is the home of serious wargamers, with “grognard” and turn-based strategy titles. The publisher unveiled exciting announcements throughout today’s event and highlighted many updates for several of its key titles such as Modern Naval Warfare, Armored Brigade 2, Commander: Europe at War, featuring developer interviews, showcasing pictures and revealing videos.
Marco Alessandro Minoli, Director of Publishing in the Slitherine Group has stated: “We continue to invest in the wargaming niche because we believe games have the unique ability to engage audiences beyond the more mainstream market. The goal of the Matrix Games brand is to nurture and serve this audience by offering a blend of traditional hex-based wargames and innovative titles we believe represent the future of the hobby.”
Games covered during HOW 2024
Modern Naval Warfare
Modern Naval Warfare is a next-generation naval combat simulator. Lead developers, the Maslas Brothers, had a livestream to showcase their progress. Today, during HOW 2024, Matrix Games released a new trailer featuring American surface ships, along with a gameplay sequence showing a P-8 Poseidon aircraft attacking a Chinese DDG, and a submarine torpedo tracking an enemy surface vessel.
Armored Brigade II
Nikola Sandic, from Veitikka Studios, discussed the features and improvements in Armored Brigade II. A substantial amount of gameplay was showcased in a 15-minute video, highlighting Armored Brigade II’s leap to the new 3D engine. Matrix Games also announced that Armored Brigade II will be published this November, exclusively on the Matrix Games Store.
Rule the Waves 3
Rule the Waves 3 has its first DLC on the way. Rule the Waves 3 – Expanded Battles will allow players to design fleet battles outside of the regular campaign. Players will be able to customize options, such as the time period of each fleet. Custom ship designs will be available for the new skirmish mode. Additionally, several pre-made historical battles will be included, such as the Battle of the Denmark Strait, where HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales fought the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. Get ready to sail: Matrix Games announced that the Beta testing will begin in early 2025.
Commander: Europe at War
The game was presented through an in-depth interview with Hubert Cater from Fury Software, the developer. This is an impressive 3D remake of the 2007 Matrix game Commander: Europe at War. From a technical standpoint, it features AI improvements and enhancements to the user interface, offering greater visual clarity for smoother gameplay and a broader game view. In terms of gameplay, compared to the 2007 version, a more intricate decision-making system has been added, along with a deeper, more elaborate diplomacy system that allows players to influence the course of matches.
Home of Wargamers 2024 also covered updates on
- Flashpoint Campaigns franchise
- Gary Grisby’s War in the East 2
- Nuclear War Simulator
- Command: Modern Operations Franchise
