A Truce Between Giants
Inspired by the true events of the Christmas Truce in 1914, the annual Verdun Christmas Truce event, which has been going on for 7 years already, is live again! Players will be able to experience this unexpected moment of peace and common humanity amidst the horror and chaos of the First World War.
Players are able to visit a special Christmas Truce map where they can play football matches, have snowball fights and send Christmas cards from the trenches by email or social media. There’s a lot more to do and explore, so enjoy your time with your fellow players and do not fear any bayonet or artillery shell... though a snowball to the face is to be expected!
As 2019 comes to a close we’re excited to see the revamped version of Verdun released on consoles, and Tannenberg releasing on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2020.
Truce Timeline 2013-2019
The Christmas Truce has quite the storied history by now. It all began back in 2013…
2013
Things started on a quiet note, with a short update announcing an in-game truce between Frontline matches. Exchanging seasonal greetings, snowball fights, and football were the first features!
2014
In 2014 there was a longer announcement with some exciting competitions for the first time, and the first appearance of Scottish soldiers in Verdun – at the time, only for the Christmas Truce!
2015
For 2015 a new official trailer was released, and the ability to send Christmas cards to friends and family was implemented. As well as that, a brand new Christmas Truce map was added, full of delightful Christmas details. During the event, over 12,000 Christmas cards were sent from the frontlines!
2016
In 2016 we released a special temporary Christmas Truce DLC, with all proceeds going to the War Child charity. Everyone who donated this way got unlimited access to the Christmas Truce over this Christmas.
2017
The War Child donation DLC returned for 2017, with more money raised for charity. We also gave away some WW1 Game Series swag including trench whistles, game keys, and even a thermos or two!
2018
A new feature arrived in 2018 as part of a personal charity effort by M2H – tree planting! A new forest of 2,500 trees was donated by M2H as part of Trees for All, to be planted in the Netherlands and Uganda. Soldiers in the trenches of WW1 would prop up trees to serve as Christmas trees, so we added the ability to plant a tree and challenged the community to match our 2,500 trees, with one tree per player. In fact, more 6,000 trees were planted in-game!
2019
Which brings us to today, the seventh year of the Christmas Truce in Verdun. Some of you have been there every year since the beginning, and some will be joining for the first time this year. You can once again earn an annual special medal by participating in a Christmas Truce from the main menu, and staying until the end of the round! We wish everyone a merry Christmas and thank you all for your support!
