Who doesn’t love a free game? Regardless of if it is any good or not, a free-to-play game allows fans everywhere to try games they wouldn’t usually have paid for – being free also gives the game some leeway with favor. Battalion 1944 is the game that will be completely free from next week as the development studio, Bulkhead Interactive, has severed all ties with the game’s publisher, Square Enix.
The news was announced through a statement on the game’s Steam page. Bulkhead Interactive explained “We have formally ended our relationship with Square Enix. We want to start this exciting chapter where we began, focusing on the players.” This cutting of ties now allows the developer to take back full control of future games, as well as maneuver the plan a tad with its current roster of games, starting with Battalion: Legacy which will be free on Steam on August 16.
Battalion: Legacy is the revisited and final version of Battalion 1944, a game that was originally released on May 23, 2019. The development of the game began through a successful crowdfunding campaign that was funded in under three days. Bulkhead was always proud of this game and stated that it would feature dedicated servers while also making use of special anti-cheat measures that would help the flow of the game.
Battalion 1944 (Legacy too) aimed to recapture the core of those classic competitive shooters that you know and love, as well as refine the “classic” FPS feel. It focused on 5v5 infantry combat, where players needed to use precise flick shots with guns like the legendary Kar98 and the Thompson machine gun. It definitely wasn’t as fluid as the developer made it out to be, and the game felt a little unfinished, but this would be a steal for the grand old price of nothing. You can watch the original trailer below for a refresh.
The Legacy version hopes to take the best aspects of the original game and improve on them with a fluid and bug-free experience, with a new superb working server, added factions, new weapons, improved visuals, and include classic game modes like Search & Destroy. Bulkhead claims that “Battalion: Legacy is the culmination of work consolidated into one old school experience for all to enjoy.”
Bulkhead Interactive originally planned for the game to be released on consoles as well as Steam, but it never materialized due to the developer selling keys for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. Bulkhead now has plans to refund those backers from five years ago.
With Bulkhead’s newfound freedom away from Square Enix, the studio is now working on a brand-new 5v5 tactical FPS called Promod. On top of that, the studio is also working on another new game called Wardogs, which it says is a “player-driven FPS sandbox game.”
