Hearts of Iron announced

Strategy First and Paradox Entertainment have announced Hearts of Iron, their upcoming World War II strategy game. The game is designed to encompass the entire world between 1936-1946. Players will be able to take the war to any new front they choose while focusing on the alliances between the three major factions--fascism, communism, and democracy.

"The biggest war of the last century will finally get the grand strategic treatment that gamers all around the world have waited for," said Fredrik Malmberg, executive director of Paradox Entertainment. "Hearts of Iron represents a breakthrough in the genre and with Strategy First behind it we know it will receive the attention it deserves."

Hearts of Iron will include a complex diplomatic system, a complete domestic political system, and an advanced research model. The game will run in real time with the option to pause at any time. The game's military system will contain more than 100 different ground, air, and naval forces fighting on the divisional level, and it will include thousands of historical generals and political leaders.

Hearts of Iron is being developed by the team behind the Europa Universalis strategy game series, and it is scheduled for release this fall. For more information, visit the official Paradox Entertainment Web site.