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War Thunder meets End of Nations in new early access RTS game Iron Conflict

A modern RTS for the modern military man? Out now in steam early access

Does anyone remember the RTS game that wanted to be an MMO, then a MOBA, then nothing as it shut down? End of Nations was a fascinating side-note in the genre arms races of the mid 2010s. Officially cancelled around 2014, it initially wanted to be an ‘MMORTS’, whatever that was, but then quickly attempted to pivot to be a MOBA game in the wake of League of Legends and DOTA’s rising popularity.

Iron Conflict kind of reminds me of what End of Nations ended up being. Actually, it reminds me of War Thunder and its ilk as well – this is a new action/strategy game that’s just hit Steam Early Access, where up to ten players per side control a squad of three units and must compete over objectives in large, hand-crafted maps.

These units can be drawn from a wide range of types, from infantry and tanks, to aircraft, anti-aircraft, mobile missile launchers, artillery, and more. This is obviously a game for military hardware enthusiasts, featuring vehicles and gear from the end of WW2 through to modern times.

There is an ‘Encounter’ game mode which supports the maximum of 20 players (ten per side), and also something called ‘Resource War’. Further plans involve more units, more factions (two, currently), and more maps and game modes. You can choose a squad that will either complement the rest of your team’s abilities, or form a self-contained synergistic unit.

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Curiously, this game has elements of free-to-play design – with premium currencies and microtransactions – despite launching with a $14.99 price tag. We’re not sure what you get for this, but if you purchase during the launch window (where there is a 10% discount), you also get:

  • One T8 Dragon Faction tank skin
  • One T8 Eagle Faction tank skin
  • One three month premium card
  • Five Dragon Faction garage slots
  • Five Eagle Faction garage slots
  • 2,000 gold
  • 1,000,000 silver
  • 20 one hour double EXP cards
  • 20 one hour double silver cards

At the time of writing, Iron Conflict is due to remain in early access for at least 12 months.