World of Tanks update adds confrontation mode

The latest update for Wargaming's team-based massively multiplayer online game, World of Tanks, introduces national combat in Europe and Russia, the developer announced today.

Update 8.11 — due in Asia Feb. 12 and North America and South Korea on Feb. 13 — adds an "experimental combat mode" called Confrontation. In this mode, players pull together vehicles from specific nations, such as France, Germany or Great Britain, to battle opposing forces. According to Wargaming, the new mode has "yet to undergo balance tweaks" and does not include Chinese or Japanese tanks. We've reached out to Wargaming for more details.

Included with the new combat mode is a remodeled version of Ruinberg, Windstorm. The European battle arena introduces rainfall and fires to the winter setting.

World of Tanks' Xbox 360 edition is set to launch tomorrow. During a recent interview, Microsoft general manager Matt Booty revealed that the game's beta brought in half a million players.

Update: A spokesperson provided Polygon with the following statement.

"Those nations have not yet been added because they do not have full tech trees. Allowing them to join this mode would put those nations on an uneven footing at this time."