December 1^st, 2005 (1:21pm) - Matrix Games and Playnet have announced a partnership to bring the new World War II Online: Battleground Europe to North America for the first time via the Matrix Games digital download system. Take control of a soldier fighting in World War II in a persistent massive multiplayer world of first-person combat with infantry, tanks, planes and ships.

This expansion to World War II Online boasts an improved graphical engine, new units and classes, new fields of battle, and more. In Battleground Europe, you control an Axis or Allied soldier as you battle on land, sea, and air. Defeating enemy soldiers gains you experience, unlocking new weapons and vehicles. Also, as you gain ranks and fame you may be assigned to fulfill a command role, determining the grand scheme of things. Play well enough and you could soon find yourself in charge of thousands of other virtual soldiers.

The Battleground Europe world features over 600 cities and 29,000 buildings. The zoneless map covers 350,000 Km (Over 217,000 miles) of terrain with a whopping 4,000,000 trees. Battles can destroy any of the 200 bridges in the game and the servers can support thousands of players online simultaneously.

World War II Online: Battleground Europe is planned for release in North America via the Matrix Games Online Store digital download and game on demand system in mid-December, 2005.