We received the following press release--RL IL-2 Sturmovik World War II Flight Sim Game Available Q1 2001 (AUSTIN, TX) July 13, 2000 - Blue Byte Software today signed a contract to publish its first flight simulation game, IL-2 Sturmovik. The PC CD-ROM game will be available Q1 2001 through the Blue Byte Direct online store at www.bluebyte.com . The cutting-edge simulation game is being developed by leading Russian-based game developer, Maddox Games. IL-2 Sturmovik will offer an environment that allows up to 32 players to participate in death match-style dogfights. A revolutionary approach to simulating the fierce air battles that raged over the East front between Russia and Germany during WWII, IL-2 Sturmovik enables gamers to fly the IL-2 (Stormer) and attack German tank columns at tree-top level, dodge deadly flak, and avoid the hovering Bf-109s. Gamers can choose to fly more than 17 accurately simulated planes, including IL-2s, MiG-3s, La-7s, and Yak-7s, while over 65 different vehicles engage in ground and naval combat. During six historical campaigns from 1941 to 1945 you'll encounter 24 additional AI controlled aircraft. Blue Byte CEO, Thomas Hertzler, stated, "When I saw the early screen shots of IL-2 popping up on the Internet, I was convinced that this was the perfect product for Blue Byte's debut into flight simulation games. As an avid flight-sim fan, I am excited about what Blue Byte Direct will soon offer to gamers worldwide in early 2001." Flight sim fans can board the plane early and learn more about the PC CD-ROM game by logging onto the Blue Byte Game Channel at www.bluebyte.net for downloadable wallpapers and a forum policed by IL-2 Sturmovik developer, Oleg Maddox. Early 'trials' of IL-2 Sturmovik will commence in December 2000 in the form of closed online beta testing via the Blue Byte Game Channel. Back to 3rd Quarter 2000 List of News Items Back to Master List of News Items Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Coalition Web, Inc. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com