War Thunder: Now Over 1 Billion Destroyed

You’ve heard of the McDonald’s claim that the restaurant chain has served billions and billions of customers. Gaijin Entertainment is touting a similar achievement with a slightly different use of the term “served,” announcing that players have combined to destroy one billion units in its ambitious MMO “War Thunder.”

That’s a lot of blown up planes, especially since the game is still in open beta. But the “War Thunder” community has been making the most of it, racking up 30 million hours flown — or the equivalent of 3,500 years.

To reward the pilots’ dedication, Gaijin offered a special event earlier today that allowed players to earn Golden Eagles (the game’s premium currency) for their third, fifth and tenth victories. The event ran for only four hours, but you can rest assured that similar promotions will pop up between now and the game’s official launch.

Of course a big part of the plan before that happens is to turn “War Thunder” from focusing on World War II and Korean War aerial combat to a full-on combat simulation that also includes ground and naval units. It’s an ambitious undertaking, but if Gaijin can bring the same attention to detail to those aspects of war that its already displayed in its dogfights, the end result should be a real treat.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can get help destroy the next billion units for free. Just hit up the “War Thunder” registration page, sign up for a free account, download the client and get flying.