Wargaming West, the subsidiary of the development studio Wargaming, has recently released a new map for the Xbox 360 version of the popular multiplayer online game "World of Tanks," Polygon reported.
The map, named Pacific Island, was inspired heavily by the historical battles in the Philippines.
Although the "World of Tanks" game focuses more on the European aspect of the Second World War, the latest map for "World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition" takes players to a tropical island.
According to the game's senior designer Chad Steingraber, Wargaming West decided to develop the Pacific Island map after learning that armored vehicles played a huge role in the clashes between American, Filipino and Japanese troops in the Philippines.
During World War II, Corregidor, the island located in the Philippines' Manila Bay, became the temporary location for the country's government. As the battles between the American-backed Filipino troops and Japanese forces intensified, the latter deployed naval ships carrying tanks and other armored vehicles to Corregidor.
The Japanese gained control of Corregidor on May 6, 1942 after the remaining Filipino and American soldiers on the island surrendered to the overwhelming Japanese military force.
Steinberg noted that the island's history serves as the backdrop for the game's new map. In addition, the map features uneven terrain, hills and other topographical features of tropical islands.
"One of the original concepts that came out of designing the map was that historically, the Americans had significantly better tanks versus the Japanese when the Japanese invaded," Steingraber told Polygon. "What happened was the Americans lost because they were unready to do battle on such a rough terrain."
"And that kind of rough terrain was a cornerstone of what the map was going to be," he added.
The original PC version of "World of Tanks" launched in North America in April of 2011. Its Xbox 360 version debuted on Feb. 12 of last year. The Pacific Island map for the "World of Tanks Xbox 360 Edition" is available for download through Xbox Live, according to Gamasutra.
