Tom Clancy's EndWar
A near-future strategy game with platform-specific real-time or turn-based tactics.
Tom Clancy's EndWar, a strategy video game from Ubisoft, launched in November 2008 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo DS, with a Windows version arriving in February 2009. The console and PC editions are real-time tactics games developed by Ubisoft Shanghai, while the handheld versions use turn-based tactics. Critical reception was mixed to positive. A sequel entered development but was canceled in February 2010 after the original's commercial failure.
The story begins in 2016, when a nuclear terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia kills six million people and cuts off Middle Eastern oil, triggering a global energy crisis. In 2017, the United States and the European Union sign the SLAMS Treaty, agreeing to jointly build an anti-ballistic missile system. They test it by launching nuclear salvos at each other, which the system destroys completely. Declaring "the end of strategic nuclear warfare," the world celebrates a new era of peace.
With crude oil at $800 a barrel, EU member states consolidate into a single European superstate called the European Federation (EF), which surpasses the US in population and GNP. The United Kingdom and Ireland opt out, forming the neutral "New Commonwealth," though they allow European forces to operate missile defense uplinks on their soil. Nations too weak to join the EF—especially in the Balkans and Eastern Europe—collapse and are absorbed by Russia, which calls the territory "their land." The US and EF view each other as threats and begin a costly space arms race.
Russia, now the world's top supplier of natural gas and crude oil, enjoys an economic boom from the energy crisis. It uses its wealth to modernize its military, build its own missile defense, and influence global events.
In 2020, the US announces plans to launch the Freedom Star space station, partly for civilian research but also to house three companies of Marines who can deploy anywhere on Earth within ninety minutes. Russia and the EF react with hostility, seeing the station as a way for the US to neutralize their missile defenses and upset the balance of power. The EF withdraws from NATO, causing its collapse, and takes over former NATO bases like Ramstein Air Base.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Tom Clancy's EndWar
- Developer
- Ubisoft Shanghai / Funatics / (PSP/DS)
- Publisher
- Ubisoft
- Producer
- Audrey Leprince
- Designer
- Michael de Plater
- Artist
- Junchen Liao
- Programmer
- Wei Xiang
- Composer
- Alistair Hirst / Matt Ragan
- Genre
- Real-time tactics / (turn-based for handhelds)
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3 (consoles and PC)
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The game is set in a world where a nuclear terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia in 2016 kills six million people and cripples Middle Eastern oil supply, causing an unprecedented energy crisis. The United States and European Union sign the SLAMS Treaty, co-developing an anti-ballistic missile system that renders nuclear warfare obsolete. The EU consolidates into the European Federation, while the UK and Ireland form the neutral New Commonwealth. Russia, as the world's top oil and gas supplier, experiences an economic boom and modernizes its military. Tensions escalate when the US announces the Freedom Star space station, housing Marines deployable within ninety minutes. The EF withdraws from NATO, and a series of terrorist attacks by the 'Forgotten Army'—later revealed to be funded by Russia—sparks a conflict. Russia's covert operation causes an EF satellite to shoot down a US space module, triggering World War III between the US, EF, and Russia.
Reader's Guide
Tom Clancy's EndWar received mixed to positive reviews. A sequel was in development but was cancelled in February 2010 due to the game's commercial failure. The game's story presents a detailed alternate history of geopolitical collapse and war, with a campaign that includes a prelude and an open-ended World War III phase where players choose a faction and attempt to capture capitals or battlefields. The narrative unfolds through television reports and background events such as protests, adverse weather, and assassination attempts. The game's significance lies in its platform-specific gameplay split—real-time tactics on consoles and PC versus turn-based tactics on handhelds—and its ambitious, branching campaign structure that locks lost battles. Its legacy is marked by the cancellation of its planned sequel, reflecting the commercial challenges of the title despite its narrative depth.
Did You Know?
- The console and PC versions are real-time tactics, while the handheld versions are turn-based tactics.
- The game's story begins with a nuclear terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia in 2016 that kills six million people.
- Russia secretly funds the Forgotten Army and plants evidence to spark war between the US and the European Federation.
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