Greeting Runners! First of all...

Year 2018 in review:

2018 is coming to an end and it has been another good year for Osumia Games. The RUNNING WITH RIFLES family has grown by another 280.000 members this year with 20.000 sales coming alone from the Pacific DLC! In 2018 we worked hard on the huge 1.70 update, also known as the "usability update" which took us a while to finish and we wanted to release all its new content in one patch. The long wait was worth it and the result proved to be very helpful, especially for new players. This new "tutorial" approach in the form of journal notes with images teaches you about events you encounter during your campaign, which should be easier and much more detailed than the former playground tutorial. Prior to that we also reworked the inventory encumbrance mechanics to have a better flexibility and to not lock the player down at snail's pace when carrying only a single weapon in his backpack. This year we also extended our Chinese server realm in result of the increasing amount of players from the Middle Kingdom. We also extended the "Man vs. World" mode to a 2-player version for those who prefer sharing this hard challenge with a mate. Another new approach we started in 2018 was a cooperation with the modding scene in the form of "community boxes". The community worked on new items and we implemented them into the game if they reached a satisfying standard. This went from new combat vehicles to new gear, tons of weapons and some more or less silly items. The 2 community boxes we released this year in new updates certainly weren't the last ones - hey this is the official starting shot for community box #3! :) For the PACIFIC DLC throughout 2018 we also published several updates which included a new large-size map, a plethora of new firearms, some balance overhauls, and the addition of new vehicles and soldier types. This includes the more recent "Type 4 Ka-Tsu" - a massive amphibious personnel carrier used by the Japanese navy.

What's next?

For the future of our World War 2 development, we will be prioritizing our work on the upcoming Western-Front themed DLC "EDELWEISS". Some of the content from 'Edel' will be made available within Pacific, and we have some plans as how to make all your stash content and experience points transferable between the two theatres. So if you are a veteran of the Pacific Theatre, you will be able to bring your "Stinger" back to the Western Front to wreak havoc on the German army! As to EDELWEISS' campaign itself, we have told you it will follow the story of Allied Paratroopers fighting their way across Western Europe. There will also be one unique map that will provide some relief from the Paratrooper missions - that of the assault up Hell's Highway, focusing on heavy armoured warfare. This will be Running with Rifle's first heavily tank-focused map, and will primarily center around usage of Medium Tanks such as the Cromwell and the Panzer IV (though other armour and types of tanks will be available). The fighting on Hell's Highway was all part of an elaborate plan crafted by Allied high-command to rapidly liberate the Netherlands - and arrive on Germany's western border before winter. This plan, known as Operation Market Garden, was ultimately unsuccessful and failed to achieve its objectives. British Paratroopers landed around and attempted to secure the bridge over Arnhem for the main armoured column to pass over; however, they were surrounded by elite German mechanized units and street fighting in the city broke out. The British armoured column attempted to reach and relieve the paratroopers at Arnhem by traveling up what they called "Hell's Highway", but were highly exposed to German ambushes, especially from well camouflaged tanks and anti-tank guns. In the end the relief column was stalled, and the paratroopers at Arnhem eventually surrendered. Arnhem itself would not be liberated until April of 1945. That is not to say the Allied armour did not make great progress; and for the sake of our game, the fate of the attack will be in your hands, though it will be the Axis campaign offering the 'authentic' outcome. Lastly: yet another teaser as to Edelweiss' progress - showcasing another Medium Tank, our Panzer IV, AAAAAAACHTUNG!! :)
Don't forget to join our RWR community on Discord if you have questions or want to gather with other Runners. Feel free to leave us a review on Steam if you like the game, it always motivates us a lot to continue our journey with you guys! Oh, and without teasing too much, we at Osumia Games also started working on something even BIGGER, but it's still too early to reveal more. Anyway, good times ahead!! your Osumia Games