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Video game mirrors war games: Russia rolls out cyber tank biathlon tournament

War Thunder’s tank biathlon has eight countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Serbia and Syria

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. Gaijin Entertainment, an independent European video game developer and publisher, has joined forces with the Defense Ministry of Russia to create an exclusive computer tank biathlon game, the Russian military agency told reporters Wednesday.

The ministry revealed that a fan club will be set up at the Patriot exhibition center during the 2020 International Army Games. The club will feature a esport zone dubbed Cyberpatriot which will hold tank biathlon tournaments in War Thunder, a Russian vehicular combat multiplayer video game.

Moreover, the ministry noted that the virtual tournament that mirrors the actual tank biathlon competition will be available for everyone to try between August 23 and September 5, 2020 when the 2020 International Army Games are going to be held.

War Thunder’s tank biathlon has eight countries: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Serbia and Syria. Just like in actual competition, China competes with their own tank - the Type 96 (ZTZ96A) - while other countries strive for victory with Russian tanks - the T-72B3 or T-80U. The appearance and characteristics of the military fighting vehicles are as close to the original as possible, just like other features of War Thunder.

The Russian Defense Ministry noted that the application will be available to all players of War Thunder free of charge, while all the necessary equipment will be provided automatically.

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