Verdun (video game)

Verdun is a squad-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game set during World War I. It was released on 28 April 2015 on Steam, after more than a year in Steam Early Access. It was released for PlayStation 4 on 30 August 2016. An Xbox One version was released on 8 March 2017. A standalone expansion Tannenberg was released on 16 November 2017.

Verdun is inspired by the 1916 Battle of Verdun in France. The game includes historically accurate World War I weapons, authentic uniforms and equipment, detailed injury and gore modeling, and maps based on the real battlefields of the Western Front.

The game runs on the Unity engine and was created by independent studios M2H and Blackmill Games.

Gameplay
Verdun is a squad based game set in the trenches of World War I that can be played with up to 32 players (64 players in private Frontlines matches). There are 4 game modes in Verdun, the Frontlines, Attrition Warfare, Squad Defense and the Rifle Deathmatch game modes.

Frontlines game mode In the Frontlines game mode, players can choose to join one of the two historic sides of World War I, the Central Powers and the Entente. Each side fights over a turn-based frontline map that consists of multiple sectors that can be captured by either side. Staying true to the typical attrition warfare of that time, both sides attack and counter-attack each other in turn, so you will be forced to defend each captured sector of trenches. The goal is to capture the enemy's HQ sector in order to win the game.

In such a battle each player, from either the Central Powers or Entente side, is part of a 4-man squad. There are up to 12 squad types that the players can choose from, all based on historically accurate units such as the German Stosstruppen, the British Tommies or the French Poilus. Each squad has a set of abilities and perks based on its type (Line Infantry, Light Infantry or Assault Infantry). Players in a squad can then choose one of the available classes that is determined by the type of squad he joined. Each class has a different role within a squad, and each squad has in turn their own specific tactic. As a squad earns more experience, perks, equipment, uniforms and even classes become available to the squad members. Experience is divided among the squad-members, rewarding those that stick together with the same players. As a squad gains more experience, they will also visually change, getting more advanced uniforms. Players can also earn individual experience called Career Points. They can use these to unlock classes, weapons and equipment.

Attrition Warfare game mode This is a variant of a team deathmatch battle. Each team, the Entente and the Central Powers, start with a number of tickets. These represent the amount of manpower that each side has at its disposal. Every time a player is killed and respawns, a ticket is deducted from the side he belongs to. The goal of the game is to diminish the opposing side’s tickets before losing all the tickets on your side, because a player cannot respawn if there are no more tickets. This game mode also contains special weapons and maps only accessible when playing it.

Squad Defense game mode Squad Defense is a bot game mode where players fight off endless waves of attacks by AI controlled soldiers in one of the 12, 4-man squads. This game mode can be played on the same maps available in the Frontlines game mode. This mode is the only one that can be played offline.

Rifle Deathmatch game mode In Rifle Deathmatch, players fight in a free for all battle, armed only with one of the rifles and add-ons they can choose from when joining the game. This is a skill-based game-mode, where marksmanship and tactical cunning are rewarded. Players can earn experience and Career Points by killing other players, and with the Career Points can level up their rifles, gaining extra accessories for it, such as a bayonet or scope.

Development
Verdun entered open beta on 9 June 2013. It was Steam Greenlit on 28 June 2013 and entered Steam Early Access on 19 September 2013. After more than a year in Steam Early Access, it was released on 28 April 2015 on Steam. The developers have continued working on the game, releasing free expansions.

On 14 July 2016, the Verdun YouTube page uploaded a trailer announcing that the game would be available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One set for a 30 August 2016, release. However, on 24 August 2016, the game's developer announced that the Xbox One version of Verdun would be delayed while the PlayStation 4's release date would be on schedule.

Reception
Verdun was met with "mixed or average" reception according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.