On June 4th, 1916, the Russian Empire opened up with heavy artillery fire on Austro-Hungarian defences across Galicia, modern day western Ukraine near the borders with Poland and Romania. This was followed up with Brusilov's 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th Armies attacking Stanislau (now Ivani-Frankivsk), Lutsk & Kovel, Czernowitz (now Chernivtsi) and Lemberg (now Lviv) respectively. What followed is one of the bloodiest offensives in history.

This offensive wasn't about taking ground. The Entente allies had devised their strategy for 1916 during the Chantilly Conferences. Their plan was a Grand Allied Offensive that would attack the Central Powers from all sides simultaneously. Victory would be achieved through attrition, as Germany and Austro-Hungary would be unable to rest or reinforce their troops. However, the German attack on Verdun in February had caught the Entente unprepared. Not only would the Allied attacks need to destroy the Central Powers, they would now be needed to relieve the pressure on the French.

The opening of the Brusilov offensive was very successful, and the Russians recaptured much of Galicia that had been lost the previous year as Austro-Hungarian units were pushed back in a full retreat.

But as casualties began to mount on both sides the Russian advance faltered. Lacking in supplies, reinforcements, and support from other generals on his flanks, Brusilov’s offensive slowed and by August, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians managed to stop the advance. The Russians had already suffered many casualties, especially at Kovel, and continuing on was no longer possible.

While the Russians did manage to capture Stanislau, Lutsk, and Czernowitz, it came at a cost. Both the Russians and Austro-Hungarians suffered an estimated 1 to 1.5 million casualties each.

The impact of the battle was far-reaching. Brusilov successfully achieved his goal to force the Central Powers to halt its attack on Verdun and send emergency forces east. His efforts also helped save the Italians who had themselves been hard-pressed since Austria-Hungary attacked them in May, and convinced Romania to join the Entente allies. Perhaps most importantly, it inflicted irreparable damage on the Austro-Hungarian army. Across 1916, the Central Powers had been placed under tremendous pressure and sustained huge casualties that were irreplaceable.

But they were not knocked out of the war. Germany took control of the Eastern Front from Austria-Hungary, and the losses suffered by the Russians brought them to the brink of revolution…


In Verdun and Tannenberg, the Central Powers still haven't managed to win a campaign. While this simultaneous attack from the Allies may not be the best circumstance for them, let's see what they're able to do this time.

Starting from today to June 16th, you can participate in the Brusilov campaign. All casualties in Frontlines & Maneuver game modes in both Verdun and Tannenberg will be added to the total losses. The winning side will be whichever side suffers the least amount of killed and wounded soldiers, and they'll get a medal to show for it!

Can the Central Powers get their much needed victory this time around?

Under the cover of darkness, the Austro-Hungarians push towards the northern Italian defenses. With their surprise attack plans foiled, a moonlit battle of fire and chaos commences: Moschin.

This update for Isonzo includes the Moschin map, 2 new weapons and the reinforced Avanti Savoia Units Pack DLC, upgraded for FREE as a thank you for your continued support since launch!

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The Austro-Hungarian 11th army pushes south across the Grappa massif, aiming to break through the Italian defenses and attack the deployment along the Piave river from behind. They planned an attack at night, preceded by a heavy artillery bombardment to weaken the Italians.

Firing commenced, but while the infantry moved into position, the Italians fired back with devastating results after having learned of the Austrians’ plans. The now weakened advancing forces reach the Italian defenses and a fiery battle is fought at Col Moschin.

Moschin (pronounced: [moˈskin]) is a map of two lighting extremes that will have you either sneak through the trees under the cover of darkness or parkour around the blazing heat. It features three objectives, with the last being a cluster of trenches and gun nests that’s sure to allow for some chaotic last stands!

Full map flyover:

https://youtu.be/lW2VoGItRvw

Map breakdown, first half:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/521959859806011444

Map breakdown, second half:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/524212840420081756


The German Empire got themselves another new addition to their kit! The standard M1917 Stielhandgranate didn’t always have enough oomph, but the solution was right around the corner: just strap on more explosives! With six more explosives strapped onto the grenade, the M1917 Geballte Ladung 6x sports a longer fuse time and shorter throw range than the Stielhandgranate, but extended lethal and non-lethal blast radii. You can get it for Engineers and Assault units!

Now the Italians get our best kept secret. A weapon no one saw coming and we definitely didn’t leak multiple times already. *Ahem* As one half of the Villar Perosa developed into a semi-automatic carbine, the Moschetto Automatico Revelli-Beretta (or Beretta M1918 for short and MAB-18 for shorter) only has pistol-like stopping power, but makes up for it with high fire rate and capacity, as well as the range and accuracy closer to that of a carbine. Even though the magazine tends to block your view, the Beretta M1918 proved to be very powerful and had to be limited to two users only, like the Artillery Luger. Available for Assault!


This expansion also brings a new(ish) cosmetic DLC! Featuring a wide array of late-war uniforms and rare headwear items, the Avanti Savoia Units Pack DLC is sure to add some pearls to your extensive wardrobe.

Some of the more visually distinct items include sapper outfits for both factions, fezzes, prototype helmet armor and helmets with camouflage paint, a significant historical contribution to WW1 and wars since.

This DLC is a re-release of the original Avanti Savoia Pack, which started off as a bonus for those of you who got Isonzo within the first week of release. Well, we have good news: this upgrade is completely free if you already own the original pack! The new items are waiting for you in Isonzo right now.

The reinforced Avanti Savoia Units Pack DLC now contains over 50 items for the Italians and Austro-Hungarians:

• 6 Italian Uniforms
  
• 14 Italian Headgear Items
  
• 6 Austro-Hungarian Uniforms
  
• 14 Austro-Hungarian Headgear Items
  
• 2 Faces
  
• 7 Facial Items
  
• 4 Facial Hair options

Don’t already own the Avanti Savoia Units Pack DLC or Third Wave? No worries! You can read about and grab all the new gear right here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1815514/Isonzo__Avanti_Savoia_Pack/

• New Map: Moschin (Solstice)
  
• New Weapons:
  
  • Moschetto Automatico Revelli-Beretta (Kingdom of Italy)
    
  • M1917 Geballte Ladung 6x (German Empire)
• 40 new items added to Avanti Savoia Units Pack DLC

• Localization Updates
  
• Fixed players sometimes not correctly bleeding out from explosion damage

• New Player Satisfaction survey
  
• (Steam) New achievement: “Sunburnt” - Complete a full Solstice Offensive

• Performance improvements
  
• Significant improvements for screen tearing on the PS5 and PS5 Pro
  
• Improved resolution for Xbox One S, Xbox Series S and PS4 Pro
  
• Fixed Xbox Controller inputs unbinding in rare circumstances.

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As many of you have noted, the release of the Moschin Expansion marks the end of the roadmap for Isonzo! It’s been an amazing journey of 8 free expansions in a little under 3 years bringing new weapons, gear and maps that explore many corners of the Italian front of WW1.

We’ve had a lot of questions about what’s next after this roadmap. To answer those questions: there will be more, just not another roadmap. The Moschin Expansion is the final expansion planned for Isonzo. It’s not the end of the road for the game though, as we still have some improvements & updates in mind and Ascent will reappear soon!

Again, a big thank you to all of you for the continued support over the years, Isonzo and the entire series. We hope you enjoy the new update and the Avanti Savoia Units Pack DLC, filled to the brim with highly requested items and our finest quality work yet. See you around for the blog posts yet to come, and we’ll have a big announcement coming this summer.

- The WW1 Game Series Team

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The weapons of the Great War were more than tools of conflict, they are symbols of an era that reshaped the world. We invite the collectors and enthusiasts of our community to participate in our WW1 Game Series Field Rations Pack Giveaway!

Share a photo of your favorite piece of WWI history from your collection. This could include field gear, weapons, uniforms or other historical relics/memorabilia from the era. Share with us why it is your favorite piece and how you found it. That's all!

You get two entries for this contest: 1 by posting an image in our Discord[discord.com] in the dedicated channel and 1 by posting one on our Reddit with the `WWI Props & Relics` flair. These should not be the same item, so be sure to pick two of your favorites! We'll select 3 winners across Discord and Reddit. One person cannot win on both platforms and the contest will be closed on February 27. Good luck!


The 3 lucky winners will receive a WW1 Game Series Field Rations pack which includes:

• A handy thermos bottle to keep your drink warm in the trenches
  
• Mints in a custom tin to keep your breath fresh
  
• Postcards to send home to your family
  
• Poppy seed grenades to plant for the fallen soldiers

Good luck and we can't wait to see everything you've collected!

A small patch has been released today:

- This update fixes Verdun crashing whenever the Epic Online Services were experiencing outages

While war officially waged on, many armies called in spontaneous truces around Christmas. Soldiers would cease fire and use this moment to tend to the wounded and bury the fallen. Of course, they also had to deal with the December cold and take shelter against frostbite, heavy snowfall and supply shortages, especially in the Alps.

However, some Christmas Truces turned into something a bit more special: some opposing armies would meet up and share the holiday spirit with each other in varying degrees. The best documented instance of this went even further and we recreated this miracle in Verdun!

It's Christmas Eve in 1914. British and German armies called a truce for Christmas and laid down their arms. However, they went further: Soldiers met up in the trenches, shook hands, share drinks & food, sing Christmas carols and even play the odd game of football. A brief moment of hope in an otherwise grim part of history!

To relive this event in Verdun, simply head to the Play menu in game and select Christmas Truce. Here, you'll find others looking to celebrate Christmas in a peaceful setting based on the events of 1914.


Once you've joined the Christmas Truce, you'll find yourself in a winter wonderland (relatively) with plenty to do! Fight your enemy with snowballs instead of grenades and be the victor in a match of football instead of a bloody battle. Explore the decorations in the trenches and socialize with your foe around a cozy fire.


You can send special Christmas wishes to your loved ones straight from the game! The Christmas Truce map features multiple post offices that allow you to sign a card and share them outside of the game, like on social media.

Good news for those who participated in the Christmas Truce before: this year, we have new Christmas Cards! Hop in the game and check them out yourself. There are multiple post offices around the map, each with different post cards.

The Christmas Truce is available from today, December 19th, until January 6th, 2025. Be sure to give it a go to add the Christmas Truce medal to your collection!


The Steam Winter Sale draws near! Later today, you'll be able to expand your WW1 Game Series collection with great discounts on almost everything. If you're still missing any of the games, be sure to check out the bundle to get an extra discount on top!

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/5227/WW1_Game_Series/

The Austro-Hungarian and Italian forces each got a new post office for the Christmas truce!

The patch download size is expected to be around 25 mb.

This year was definitely one of the years of all time. For the WW1 Game Series, it was a great one! We released a ton of content that we feel really pushed the envelope in terms of quality. We really hope you've been enjoying everything this year and are looking forward to what's in store for 2025.

For now, let's walk down a year's worth of memory lane, which includes:

• 2 New Maps
  
• 5(-ish) New Weapons
  
• 2 Cosmetic DLC Packs + 1 Bonus DLC
  
• Content Highlights
  
• And of course the introduction of the limited-time game mode Ascent!

This year, we introduced Ascent to Isonzo! This limited-time game mode has the Italians scale one of Marmolada's cliffs with their ice picks and rope. The Austro-Hungarians are at the peak and have to defend the objective at all costs, with their limited supplies available. They do have a handy supply of rocks, however!

Ascent was playable in April and November and is sure to return in 2025!



The Austro-Hungarians push across the river Piave to capture Nervesa della Battaglia and create a foothold across the river. This battle in the region of Treviso takes the fight across water and farms into urban warfare.


At an altitude of 3000 meters, Italian forces assault the Austro-Hungarians dug in at Cima Presena. To make matters worse: the battlefield is battered by a blizzard, limiting your sight and making life even more miserable. The Italians have an uphill battle ahead of them, will they pull it off?


The arsenal of Isonzo has been expanded again this year and they sure leave a lasting impression. The Austro-Hungarians receive a captured Mosin-Nagant and a new grenade, the Italians got their hands on Isonzo's very first impact grenade and the Germans got the Artillery Luger, which quickly claimed its spot among the best. Also: rock.



If you're looking to keep warm during the winter, look no further than the Altitude Units Pack! This DLC features many thick coats, cozy hats and goggles to keep your eyes snow-free.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2719540/Isonzo__Altitude_Units_Pack/


If you're looking to dress like you just went to hell and back... to each their own, I guess. Secondly, the Shellshocked Units Pack is what you'll want. It's filled to the bring with worn-down coats, bloody bandages, but also some really cool armor suited for those who are actually planning to go to hell.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2719550/Isonzo__Shellshocked_Units_Pack/


We collaborated with the Movember charity to bring you the Movember Handlebar DLC for Isonzo! Get yourself the epitome of mustaches and support Movember's mission support men's healthcare, taking on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

Proceeds will be donated to the not-for-profit Movember organization. The DLC is available until January 2nd, 2025!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3253670/Isonzo__Movember_Handlebar/



We finally got some merch! As a (kind of late) celebration of the WW1 Game Series' Anniversary, we worked together with Makeship to create a set of three fantastic pins representing each of the games. They already reached over 200% of the funding they needed to enter production, with shipping scheduled for the end of March. They're only available for a limited time, so be sure to check them out!

Find them here: https://www.makeship.com/products/ww1-game-series-10-year-anniversary-pins

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/4454718003971358771


To celebrate the release of Montello, we organized a digital tour through the region! There's a lot of history here, WW1 and beyond. From the most successful fighter ace of WW1 and his link to Ferrari to the estimated 300,000 teenagers who mustered the Italian front line: if you're interesting in learning about history, be sure to check it out.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1556790/view/4535779621903617205


The Adamello update brought along a Free Weekend on Steam and PlayStation, introducing a ton of new people to the community!


There's still one more big ticket item for Isonzo on the current roadmap and we're very excited to show you next year. However, we have a lot more planned than just that. It's just kind of hard to fit it all on the roadmap at this point. We'll reveal everything in due time!

From the entire BlackMill Games team, we really hope you have a pleasant Christmas and an excellent 2025. The Christmas Truce will return to Verdun next week to wrap up this year, so be sure to join us for a fun and totally not overly competitive snowball fight.

YouTube[www.youtube.com] Discord[discord.gg] Reddit[www.reddit.com] X / Twitter[twitter.com]

Can you believe it has been over 10 years since the first game of the WW1 Game Series? As some may already know, we have briefly celebrated this occasion last year. This year however we wanted to put a spotlight on you, the community.

We want to thank all our soldiers who have joined the fronts over the years. From the Verdun Early Access veterans to the newly enlisted Italian recruits. We can wholeheartedly say that we couldn't have gotten to where we are today, without everyone's continued dedication, support and interest in the WW1 Games.

We're super excited to announce that, to celebrate 10+ years with our amazing community, we’re collaborating with Makeship to bring you special limited edition Anniversary Pins!
https://www.makeship.com/products/ww1-game-series-10-year-anniversary-pins


[www.makeship.com]
We've made a pin to represent each game in the series.

• The bronze pin represents Verdun, the first game in the series. Featuring the Adrian helmet, a spade and the trenches of the Western Front covered in deadly toxic gas, all enveloped by barbed wire.
  
• The silver pin represents Tannenberg, the second game and a worthy companion to the first. Featuring the Pickelhaube, sabres and the foggy forests of the Eastern Front, decorated by silver laurels.
  
• The gold pin represents Isonzo, the third game and a big leap for the series. Featuring the Cappello Alpino, an ice pick & the Alps as the beautiful theatre of war of the Southern Front, wrapped in rope in the blue of the ice sheets.

1. Design
[/h3]Together with Makeship we've designed these 3 pins for the community. highlighting weapons, tools and maps of each game.
2. Launch
[/h3]Starting from today the Campaign is available until December 19. If the Campaign reaches the minimum order goal, the production will start. If the minimum goal is not met, all community members will be refunded for their order.
3. Make
[/h3]Once a campaign ends, we know exactly how many anniversary pins will have to be made and production will start. Production takes 2-4 months to complete.
4. Ship
[/h3]Once the pins are ready, they will be shipped directly to you. Shipping typically takes 7-15 business days depending on the destination country and city.

Getting it for a special someone? We have made this holiday themed card[imgur.com] to print and gift to your friends until the pins arrive!

[imgur.com]So what are you waiting for soldier, get your very own pins at Makeship [www.makeship.com] RIGHT NOW, and celebrate the 10+ year anniversary of the WW1 Games and our awesome community!

X / Twitter[twitter.com] YouTube[www.youtube.com] Discord[discord.gg] Reddit[www.reddit.com]