A Farewell to Day of Infamy
The World War II game you’ve probably never heard of
Day of Infamy is one of those games which, despite overwhelmingly positive reviews, has never been widely popular. Maybe gamers were still tired of the World War II genre by the time of its release. Maybe its combination of arcade and realism was too niche to succeed. Or maybe it was simply a lack of sufficient marketing. Whatever it was, in just under two years since its release Day of Infamy is mustering just 286 players a month and dropping as of this January, and it seems like it may very well be on its way to the grave.
You’re probably wondering why I’m writing about Day of Infamy, after all, a game that’s dying is usually dying for a good reason. Maybe it’s old. Maybe it’s genuinely bad. But Day of Infamy is neither, and despite its fair share of flaws, it’s a great game that could and should have been successful.
Released on Steam in March 2017, Day of Infamy was New World Interactive’s second release following the commercial success of their previous, multiplayer only shooter Insurgency. As a combination of the latter’s pseudo-realistic mechanics with a new “commander” system and a World War II coat of paint, perhaps it was expected that Day of Infamy would see a large transfusion of players from its predecessor.
Although that didn’t exactly happen, Day of Infamy delivered what it had promised. It was an authentic, tactical, and above all, fresh new take on the World War II genre. Not quite sim and not quite arcade, it struck a clever balance between the fast paced action of Call of Duty and the more strategic nature of Red Orchestra. It explored the lesser seen theater of the Mediterranean along with the familiar beaches and towns of Europe. It featured some of the more underappreciated units of World War II like the 92nd Infantry Division and 12th Frontier Force Regiment. And above all, it was a game that might have made bigger waves in the PC gaming community had it been better handled by its developers.
Launched just under a year after the announcement of what would be the studio’s third title, Insurgency: Sandstorm, perhaps it’s no real surprise that Day of Infamy’s content updates lasted a mere nine months as the team progressively shifted focus toward its upcoming game. Yet Day of Infamy’s short lived support may very well have been the least of its problems, and even by its final update in December 2017, many long standing issues remained, among them the game’s poor map design and lack of compelling game modes.
Today, Day of Infamy remains a flawed gem, one I’ll always keep close to my heart even after it’s long dead, and yet another in a long line of games that deserved better than they got.
