Forgotten but Unbroken brings WWII tactics and a DXRacer tie-in to gamescom 2025

Why this announcement actually caught my eye

MicroProse is taking Forgotten but Unbroken – a tactical WWII strategy game – to gamescom 2025, and they’re rolling in with a DXRacer partnership and a special edition chair you can actually sit in. The chair collab is easy headline bait, sure, but the bigger news here is a playable build on the show floor. When a tactics game steps into the public demo arena, it usually means the core systems are far enough along to withstand scrutiny. That’s when we can start judging what matters: clarity, pacing, and whether the tactics feel fresh rather than yet another XCOM-lite in a steel helmet.

Key Takeaways

• Playable hands-on at gamescom 2025 suggests core mechanics are locking in.
• DXRacer partnership is nice booth polish, but the game’s clarity and pacing will decide its fate.
• Watch for line-of-sight readability, suppression/cover logic, and AI flanking behavior.
• MicroProse’s recent catalog favors deep systems; UI and onboarding need to keep pace.

Breaking down the announcement

The joint pitch is “comfort meets immersion.” Translation: attendees can test a special edition DXRacer while running missions in Forgotten but Unbroken. As a show-floor experience, that’s smart – it keeps butts in seats and eyes on the screen while queues move. For players, the more interesting part is getting real-time hands-on with a WWII tactics game under MicroProse’s banner. This is the publisher that’s been quietly rebuilding its identity with mechanically dense titles like Regiments, Second Front, Tiny Combat Arena, and Carrier Command 2. They’re curators of niche-but-serious strategy and sim fare, which sets a certain expectation: depth first, flash second.

What we don’t have yet is a release date or final feature list, so the show demo becomes our first real barometer. If the build is confident, we’ll see the pillars on display: squad positioning that actually matters, suppression that shapes the battlefield, and sightlines that communicate risk at a glance. If it’s wobbly, expect clunky camera work, ambiguous hit previews, and animation pacing that drags turns into molasses. Tactics fans will forgive crunchy mechanics; they won’t forgive a UI that hides the information they need to make smart decisions.

Does the DXRacer tie-in matter for gamers?

Short answer: not really, beyond the booth experience. Branded chairs don’t change how your squad breaches a farmhouse in occupied Europe. That said, it does signal MicroProse is investing in visibility — the kind of mainstream footprint that can push a niche tactics game in front of people who mostly came to gamescom for big-budget trailers. It’s marketing, but it’s also confidence. You don’t ship a co-branded chair if you’re unsure about putting players in front of your game.

As for “historical immersion through comfort,” that’s pure PR. Comfort is great, but immersion will come from the mission design and tone: are we guiding nameless pawns through faceless skirmishes, or is the game actually engaging with the period in a thoughtful way? WWII tactics can easily slide into museum-diorama stiffness or, worse, cosplay. The best ones build stakes with persistent squads, meaningful injuries, and equipment scarcity that tells a story without preaching.

What to look for in the hands-on

• Readability first: clear line-of-sight cones, distinct cover states, and unambiguous hit/suppression previews before you commit.
• AI that pressures flanks and punishes sloppy positioning instead of lemming-charging into overwatch.
• Turn tempo: snappy animations, optional skip/fast-forward, and no camera whiplash when the enemy moves.
• Squad persistence: injuries, morale, or fatigue that carry between missions to make decisions matter.
• Loadout nuance: era-appropriate weapons that actually feel different in range, penetration, and handling, not just +2 damage reskins.
• Accessibility and quality-of-life: key remapping, colorblind modes, camera distance options, generous text scaling, and controller support hints (a gamescom demo is where you test those waters).

If MicroProse and the devs show off even a small taste of meta-layer management — a safehouse to upgrade, resistance networks to nurture, or scarce resources to triage — that’s a clue the game aims to stand alongside modern tactics standouts rather than be another one-and-done mission pack.

Industry context: MicroProse’s modern groove

MicroProse’s revival has leaned hard into “games with knobs” — the kind of strategy/sim projects that don’t apologize for depth. Regiments scratched that Cold War itch with methodical engagements. Second Front modernized crunchy WWII hex tactics. Tiny Combat Arena chased accessible flight feel without dumbing it down. That pattern makes Forgotten but Unbroken promising, but it also sets a bar. The audience they’ve cultivated wants clarity, mod support if possible, and systems that reward mastery rather than tooltips that disappear when you need them.

There’s also the genre climate to consider. We’ve seen a mini-renaissance in tactics: from indie darlings to big-budget spins, but the crowded field means a WWII entry needs a strong hook. Maybe it’s campaign structure (dynamic operations instead of a linear mission chain), maybe it’s a robust suppression/morale model, or a focus on resistance warfare. Whatever it is, gamescom is where that hook needs to be obvious within five minutes of play.

The gamer’s perspective

This caught my attention because MicroProse doesn’t usually show paper-thin demos — they tend to bring systems you can sink your teeth into. If Forgotten but Unbroken can nail clean information delivery, meaningful squad stakes, and AI that forces tough choices, it could earn a place beside the modern tactics greats. If it leans on vague hit odds, sluggish turns, and boilerplate missions, the DXRacer chair will be the most memorable thing about the booth — and nobody wants that.

TL;DR

MicroProse is showing a playable build of Forgotten but Unbroken at gamescom 2025 with a flashy DXRacer tie-in. The chair is marketing; the real test is whether the demo proves sharp readability, smart AI, and stakes that make each turn matter. If those show up, keep this on your tactics radar.