Wargaming, the developer and publisher of the popular combat video game, World of Warships, has commandeered HMS Belfast to open a new gaming room for fans of the franchise, in a new partnership with Imperial War Museums.
The video gaming room opened to the public July 8 in accordance with the UK’s pandemic reopening plan. Visitors are being invited to the newly refurbished World War II warship to immerse themselves in the world of naval combat, as they get hands-on with World of Warships and World of Warships: Legends on in-situ gaming PCs and video game consoles.
“After an extended closure period of sixteen months, we are thrilled to be reopening HMS Belfast this summer and welcome visitors back onboard this magnificent warship,” said John Brown, the museum’s executive director of commercial services and operations. “The World of Warships Command Centre is a really fantastic addition to the refreshed visitor offer and will enable audiences to interact with HMS Belfast and its history in a completely new way.”
World of Warships was developed by Wargaming, which also produced the hugely popular World of Tanks franchise. That game has the distinction of establishing a Guinness World Record for the most players ever logged into a single gaming survey, with 190,541 players logged simultaneously.
World of Warships allows players to take the helm of historical fighting vessels from around the world, playing in large set battles on a variety of coastal maps. The level of realism and exciting gameplay allowed World of Warships and World of Warships: Legends to record more than 50 million player accounts from across the world.
One of the ships in the game is the HMS Belfast itself, meaning players will be able to experience playing the game in command of the HMS Belfast, while actually being on board the ship in real life.
“Over the past year we have been privileged to work with naval museums across the world and support them during an immensely difficult time,” said Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming. “We are delighted to be able to add a new dimension to the already incredible offering onboard HMS Belfast, and can’t wait to see this historic warship ship delight and educate visitors once more.”
Offering the largest digital collection of historically accurate ships available to play, World of Warships is supporting the global community of museums and heritage sites with in-game content based on historical documents and actual blueprints from the first half of the 20th century.
Following an extended closure that started in March 2020, HMS Belfast is reopening in time for summer with new exhibition spaces and an enhanced visitor offer onboard. Visitors to the Second World War Royal Navy warship can explore new displays, discover stories from crew members and enjoy interactive experiences such as the World of Warships Command Centre.