Certain things are just made to go together – peanut butter and jelly, bullets in a magazine – and in this case, the introduction of iconic heavy metal band Megadeth to World of Tanks and World of Warships as part of the Metal Fest in-game event later this month.
Between August 28 and October 3, players across World of Warships: Legends, World of Tanks Modern Armor, World of Warships PC and World of Tanks Blitz PC will be able to unlock Megadeth themed vehicles, commanders, skins, emblems, hangar items and more.
Across their 40-year tenure as one of the world’s biggest metal bands, Megadeth have been no stranger to the iconographies of monstrous war machines roaring through a battlefield. As a huge fan of both heavy metal and tanks, I couldn’t help but pop my head into Wargaming to learn more about how this epic collaboration came about.
This may be a first-of-its-kind partnership for Megadeth, but Wargaming itself is well-versed in collaborations such as this one. Alena Terekhova, Publishing Director on World of Tanks Modern Armor, tells us that multiple teams working on the game gravitated towards the idea of bringing a heavy metal band into the fold. Not only that, but when the developer posed the question of who to bring in to its fans, Megadeth triumphed.
“We, like our players, are big fans of metal music,” Terekhova says. “That, and Megadeth is one of their favourite heavy metal bands, based on the number of surveys we had.”
“Summer was a perfect time for it, as this is a period of music fests and concerts in the real world,” Terekhova adds. “We thought that it would be a great concept and opportunity to have a tie-in with a metal band during this period.”
Megadeth also has a history with video games – their music has appeared in titles such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, and a former Megadeth roadie is cited as the inspiration for characters in Brütal Legend. “The band has an established presence in the gaming world, but this is their biggest collaboration to date”, said Marko Valentic Global Business Development and Communications Director of the World of Warships franchise.
So the big question is, what do players get when the Metal Fest event goes live? The band were open to collaborating with Wargaming, and the teams quickly established the right chemistry to craft something unique and memorable for fans.
The Metal Fest event will introduce several Megadeth-themed tanks across World of Tanks Modern Armor and World of Tanks Blitz PC, as well as a Tier V cruiser heading to World of Warships: Legends. Players will also have the opportunity to take control of the bands’ four members, as commanders in World of Tanks Modern Armor, who will of course be voiced by the quartet themselves. Additionally, frontman Dave Mustaine will also be made available as a commander in World of Warships Legends and World of Warships PC.
Perhaps most excitingly for fans, the band’s long-running mascot, Vic Rattlehead, will also appear as a commander in both World of Warships titles too and World of Tanks: Modern Armor. Vic Rattlehead features on almost every Megadeth album cover to date; his angry, bony frame is a stalwart of the band’s image, and this is the first time he’s been brought to life with voice acting.
Megadeth sound engineer Chris Rakestraw worked alongside founding member and frontman Dave Mustaine to craft the perfect voice for Vic, making him sound as big and imposing as the character he is.
Take a peek at the full list of Megadeth-themed items available across the World of Tanks and World of Warships titles below, as well as the dates they’ll be taking place:
World of Warships: Legends:
August 29 – October 2 2023
Megadeth branded in-game content:
- Ship Commander – Dave Mustaine (lead vocal, guitar) with unique VO
- USN Ship Commander – Vic Rattlehead (mascot) with unique VO
- Rattlehead cruiser
- Collectible Flag
- Patch – Vic Rattlehead
- Patch Symbol – Vic Rattlehead
World of Tanks Modern Armor:
August 29 – September 25 2023
Megadeth branded in-game content:
- 3D commander of Vic Rattlehead first ever voice over for this collaboration + 17 animations
- 2D commander of Dave Mustaine (lead vocal, guitar) with unique VO
- 2D commander of James LoMenzo (bass, backing vocals) with unique VO
- 2D commanders Dirk Verbeuren (drummer) with unique VO
- 2D commanders Kiko Loureiro (guitarist) with unique VO
- 2D commander Vic Rattlehead (mascot) with VO
- Emblems
World of Warships PC:
August 28 2023 – September 13 2023
Megadeth branded in-game content:
- Dave Mustaine commander with unique VO
- Rattlehead commander with unique VO
- Rattlehead permanent camouflage with “Tornado of Souls” song integration
- Megadeth flag
World of Tanks Blitz PC:
August 29 – September 3 2023
Megadeth branded in-game content:
- Skin Chieftain Mk. 6 (X) Dystopia
- Static Camo – Rust In Peace
- Animated Camo – Countdown to Extinction
- 6 Avatars (Static and Animated)
- Profile Background
- Hangar Item
- Collectibles
An extra layer of care was deployed to ensure an authentic experience with these characters in-game. Fans of the band were brought in from all corners of the company to help shape the dialogue, and the new items are packed with references and Easter eggs that the discerning Megadeth enjoyer will appreciate.
“World of Tank Modern Armors’ audio director is a big Megadeth fan, so we tapped him to provide all the best Megadeth lines for our script,” says JJ Bakken, Senior Producer on World of Tanks, Modern Armor. “It’s not usually his area, but he took on the extra project and really delivered. The script is full of Megadeth lyric references and sounds great!”
Bakken adds that the Cold War era tank featured as part of the World of Tanks Modern Armor collaboration is particularly crammed with fun nods to the band’s lyrics and themes, and adds: “When that tank was full, that’s how we knew the project was complete.”
The Metal Fest event runs between August 28 and October 2. During this time, players will gain access to all of the new Megadeth-themed additions across World of Tanks Modern Armor and World of Warships: Legends. Hop in for free on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.