World of Tanks is getting a fresh coat of paint with the new Hot Wheels season that just began. World of Tanks is a free MMO that puts players in control of mid-20th century war vehicles in order to do battle against one another, and now players can slap the Hot Wheels logo on these machines of destruction.
This is not the first seasonal content model for the game. Earlier this year, the game had its World of Tanks: Valor event. The success from that limited series allowed the developers at Wargaming to launch their latest season with many structural similarities between the two events, particularly with level progression. The World of Tanks: Valor event lasted for three months, which should give players some idea of how long this one will last.
The announcement on Xbox Wire states that World of Tanks is partnering with Mattel to launch a new season of content based around the toy company's Hot Wheels brand. Players will earn points through battles, which will allow them to progress through levels. Each level will offer in game rewards to the players with the largest reward being tanks based off of classic Hot Wheels designs. Players will receive their rewards after every three levels, with the maximum level for the World of Tanks: Hot Wheels season being 100. All players that reach that point will be given access to the a particularly special tank. The Season Pass and the Ultimate Pass are also available for purchase, offering more rewards, faster progress, and more Hot Wheels styled tanks.
The developers seem to be going all in on the Hot Wheels brand. In the announcement, there is a tease that the garage where players store their tanks will have its design changed to resemble in some way the iconic orange plastic race track. The tone for this season appears to be more whimsical compared to previous ones with the intent of bringing something fresh to World of Tanks.
The addition of in-game incentives, especially in a free-to-play game, has always been a good way to keep a fanbase engaged in a particular on-going title. The Hot Wheels brand also carries a strong feeling of nostalgia with it, which could attract newcomers to World of Tanks. The Season Pass and Ultimate Pass could actually be intriguing to new players considering that there are many Hot Wheels fans who collect as many of the toys as possible. That may translate over into the gaming world with the variety of different Hot Wheels inspired tanks available, especially with the passes. But price walls for content have never sat well with the gaming community, especially when it feels like a pay-to-win system similar to loot boxes. It will be interesting to see if the Hot Wheels tanks will simply be aesthetic rewards or if those tanks will have unique features all their own.
World of Tanks is available now on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Source: Xbox Wire