Ubisoft has officially launched its newest Tom Clancy military video game franchise EndWar, available for both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. EndWar is set in a fictional World War III in the year 2020, the game imagines a world where Middle Eastern oil has been cut off by a nuclear exchange, Russia establishes itself as the world’s leading supplier of energy, and space-based anti-ballistic missile systems create an uneasy peace. But with the United States set to deploy a new orbital military platform, tensions among enemies and allies alike escalate to the boiling point, with Europe, Russia, and the United States taking up arms against each other.
EndWar’s signature feature, however, is enabling players to command the game using voice commands, letting players make moves and refine their strategies as quickly as they can speak.
“By allowing players to control the game entirely with their voice, the launch of Tom Clancy’s EndWar marks a strategic shift in the way games can be played,” said Ubisoft senior VP of sales and marketing, in a statement. “Ubisoft is revolutionizing gaming with the release of EndWar and we believe it will serve as the catalyst for the success of strategy games on consoles.”
Ubisoft has had considerable success with its Clancy-based franchises, including the Rainbow Six,Splinter Cell, and Ghost Recon games, which have collectively sold more than 55 million units. EndWar also picked up the Best Strategy Game Award at E3 2008, marking the first time a console game has picked up that honor.
Endwar carries a suggested price of $59.99 and is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.