Press release -
World of Warships and Sabaton Take Centre Stage with a Brand New “Yamato” Collaboration
Fans can enjoy a new Sabaton single alongside World of Warships’ 15.2 update, featuring Commander Joakim Brodén and a special in-game item collection
March 13th - Wargaming, the developer and publisher of the leading historically accurate naval multiplayer game, World of Warships, has revealed a new collaboration with Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton. The partnership sees the release of a powerful new single “Yamato”, based on the legendary Japanese battleship, as well as a Collection, “The Legend of Sabaton”, available in-game from 13 March to 16 April, which features a Sabaton Commander, themed camouflages and containers. Players will also be able to tune into a themed stream with a special guest for the chance to win Sabaton concert tickets and other in-game items.
The world release of Sabaton’s new single “Yamato”
Sabaton’s latest single “Yamato” is an homage to the iconic Japanese battleship of the same name, taking fans on an intense and thunderous journey through history. The song marks the second collaboration between World of Warships and Sabaton, building off the success of their first single “Bismarck”, which was released in 2019. To mark the release, a special “Yamato” music video is also available to watch on YouTube, amplifying the song’s heavy riffs with striking visuals for an enhanced listening experience.
Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén joins as a Commander
The collaboration also introduces Sabaton frontman Joakim Brodén as a Commander in World of Warships, featuring voiceovers from both Joakim himself and Sabaton bass player Pär Sundström. When Commander Joakim Brodén is at the helm, players will have the standard battle soundtrack replaced by “Yamato” or “Bismarck”, transforming every engagement into an epic metal experience.
“The Legend of Sabaton” Collection
Taking fans on an epic journey through the band’s history is “The Legend of Sabaton” Collection. Found through themed Standard and Premium containers, players will uncover personal messages and facts about the band, rewarding those who complete the Collection with a “Crowned in Smoke and Flame” permanent camouflage for Yamato, Commander Joakim Brodén, and five “Metal Flames” permanent camouflages. Beyond the Collection, players can also find a new “Into the Fire” enemy destruction effect, commemorative flags, and a Sabaton patch across special bundles.
“We’re thrilled to be cooperating with Sabaton on the powerful new single ‘Yamato’,” said Christian Bergmann, Deputy Publishing Director at Wargaming. “Sabaton’s passion for storytelling and bringing history to life resonates deeply not only with our team, but with our community too. We’re delighted to offer players new content as part of this collaboration, celebrating the band, their legacy, and the stories that inspire us all.“
“‘Bismarck” was such an exciting song but it was never part of an album, and it felt that it was missing something. We always wanted to follow up on that story. Over the years, countless fans have asked us to write a song about “Yamato”, and we knew that that would be a natural continuation of what we started with “Bismarck”. We knew we wanted this song to have a totally different sound, and when Tommy was writing the music for this, we felt we had the appropriate, powerful song for this story. Once again, we are collaborating with World of Warships, and since our worlds are so close, it just feels so natural to continue this great partnership. Together, we once again created a legendary music video!” said Pär Sundström from Sabaton.
Themed Yamato livestream and Sabaton on consoles and mobile
On March 13th at 5pm UTC fans can tune into a livestream, featuring Pär Sundström, on the official World of Warships Twitch, YouTube, and Twitter. Viewers will have the chance to obtain new in-game content from the collaboration for free, as well as to win Sabaton concert tickets.
Beyond PC, select Sabaton content will be available on World of Warships: Blitz between 13-17 March 2026, and for players of World of Warships: Legends from 30 March to 4 May 2026. Fan favourite Sabaton content also appears in World of Tanks: Modern Armor between 17-30 March, with the return of Primo Victoria and Spirit of War tanks.
Battle of Cape Matapan Event Pass and returning Operations
In addition to the collaboration, a new Event Pass and returning Operations arrive as part of the game’s 15.2 update. The Battle of Cape Matapan Event Pass commemorates the 85th anniversary of the battle for Mediterranean supremacy between Britain and Italy, offering themed rewards including new Italian Tier VII premium cruiser Fiume. Plus, three returning Operations become permanently available following their 2025 debut, including Arctic Convoy, Tokyo Express, and Pacific Offensive. Closing out the update are changes to Aircraft Carrier mechanics, a rebalance of the Okinawa map, a new season of Clan Battles, and the continuation of Lunar New Year 2026 celebrations.
Full details on the Sabaton collaboration can be found here, alongside 15.2 patch notes here.
-ENDS-
Related links
About World of Warships
World of Warships is a free, historical, online combat PC game from Wargaming. With its massive fleet of most iconic war vessels, including five different ship classes and strategically designed environment, World of Warships provides the ultimate naval warfare gaming experience, suitable for everyone. Thanks to its largest collection of historically accurate ships available to play, World of Warships prides itself as a digital ship museum and a focal point for naval history enthusiasts. New thematic content and innovative game modes are being added on a regular basis, providing a diverse and exciting gameplay to its broad player base.
About Wargaming
Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and publisher headquartered in Nicosia, Cyprus. Operating since 1998, Wargaming has grown to become one of the leaders in the gaming industry. Its 15 offices around the world include studios in Chicago, Prague, Shanghai, Tokyo, Vilnius, Belgrade, and Kyiv. Millions of players enjoy Wargaming's titles across all major gaming platforms. Its flagship products include the free-to-play hits World of Tanks, World of Tanks Blitz, World of Warships, World of Warships: Legends, and World of Warships Blitz.
About Sabaton
Founded in 1999 in Falun, Sweden, five-piece heavy metal band, Sabaton, are known the world-over for their ability to bring harrowing stories from the past to life with their intense, anthemic and high-energy heavy metal.
With 11 studio albums in circulation, alongside a number of EPs, Sabaton have made a name for themselves in the global heavy metal scene.
In the more than 25 years since their launch, the band have headlined major festivals, sold-out arena concerts worldwide and gained a legion of loyal fans across the globe. Since their 2005 debut album, they’ve earned Gold, Platinum, and multi-Platinum certifications in territories around the world. They’ve also had eight albums score Top 10 international chart status and six claim the Top 5, and have accumulated more than 3 billion streams across all streaming platforms as well as more than 2 billion views on YouTube.
About Better Noise
BETTER NOISE MUSIC, the artist development company, is the premiere independent Record Label under BETTER NOISE ENTERTAINMENT, a content creation, and marketing company that produces music, books, films, documentaries, TV shows, theatrical productions, and tours. Better Noise Music founded in 2006 by music industry veteran and independent pioneer Allen Kovac, focuses on artist development and has grown into a music industry independent powerhouse, with a roster including Five Finger Death Punch, Yellowcard, Sabaton, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Bad Wolves, Dirty Heads, The Rasmus, NOTHING MORE, The HU, From Ashes To New, Cory Marks, Eva Under Fire, and The Funeral Portrait. The company operates a global marketing and distribution platform with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Austin, Miami, London, Berlin, Toronto, and Sydney. The label was named Billboard’s #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Label and #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint of 2024, after its history-making run of 5 consecutive years as the #1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint (2018-2022).
