World of Warplanes North American Launch Event Report

On the eve of the World of Warplanes release in North America, Wargaming America hosted a lavish launch event for the game, inviting media to USS Hornet in Alameda, California, on the east edge of the San Francisco Bay, to check out the game and enjoy the evening on a great vessel loaded with history.

The event took place on the Hornet's hangar deck, as we dimmed the lights and did it up to create our own little "world" for World of Warplanes. The Wargaming Road Tour Hummer made it onto the deck as well, ready to provide game stations to eager attendees. People there could also sample a variety of foods based on each of the nations featured in the game, and entertainment included live music from the Swingin' Blue Stars, a group who sings a capella hits from the 1940s and a frequent act on historical ships across the country.

The Hornet's place in history is unforgettable. Not only did it serve a successful service record in World War II – replacing the original Hornet CV-8 and playing a key part in WWII's Doolittle Raid, for instance – but postwar, it retrieved NASA space capsules, picking up astronauts after successful space missions. And of course, the Hornet saw many respectable aircraft cross its decks, some of which you can see in the museum, such as a TBM-3 Avenger named "Miss June."

And as a musuem ship, the Hornet has plenty to see and do alongside our launch party. Attendees could see the aforementioned planes and astronaut equipment on display along with other aircraft, climb into a disembodied cockpit and see what pilots of the war could see (with some of those pilots working at the museum and showing you how it all worked), and as an added bit of fun, the Hornet features a flight simulator ride for five minutes of roller coaster-like fun.

All of us at Wargaming America are pleased to have shared in the celebration with our guests, hours before an exciting game launch. And if you're ever in the area, make plans for your own trip to the USS Hornet.