Steel Aces sets its sights on Nakama and ODIN Fleet

How Armative Studios Built Fair Multiplayer Infrastructure for Steel Aces#

MMOs and online shooters often evolve over time. But they don’t always retain their passionate fanbase. Monetisation, balancing or a shift away from what initially excited the community can leave a gap that no patch can bridge. The result: players turn away from the title or even leave the genre altogether.

Michael Schmotz found himself in a similar situation. He played World of Tanks at a high level for years as part of the top German clan scene. But he sensed how the game was drifting away from what had once defined it: pay-to-win, loot box mechanics, a spiral of ever more and ever faster content. The tactical depth that had once thrilled him gradually faded away.

Together with his fellow study mate Alexander Huber, he founded the start-up Armative Studios and began developing Steel Aces.

Steel Aces was not intended to be a copy, but rather an alternative to the established players with grand ambitions: gameplay depth and a wide range of vehicles, eras and game modes.

At the heart of the game lies an arcade mode that builds on the core concept of the early World of Tanks, but with a stronger focus on tactics and vehicle knowledge, without problematic game mechanics such as artillery or performance-enhancing “special ammunition.”

The developers have consistently taken this concept further:

• Dynamic maps where weather and time of day make every match unique
• Ballistics based on real-world data, where the smarter player wins, not the one with the deepest pockets

In short, Steel Aces is a tank game “Made in Germany”, built on the solid engineering background the team brings from the automotive industry.

We wanted to build the game we ourselves had been missing — fair, with depth and as a genuine alternative for everyone who feels the same way.

Michael Schmotz, CEO of Armative Studios

The Armoured Battle Against Two Goliaths#

In this genre, the two market leaders — World of Tanks and War Thunder — have dominated the market virtually unchallenged for over a decade. As a result, they were able to introduce many mechanics without facing any opposition. There was simply no alternative. Over the years, increasingly aggressive monetisation methods followed: frequent loot box events, auctions, sales events and a permanent Battle Pass.

Rather than focusing on casual gameplay, Steel Aces concentrates on slowing things down and returning to a more measured, tactics-based style of play. To succeed, players need to be familiar with the various vehicles, particularly their armour, and how ammunition works. Positioning requires foresight and clever planning, because several tons of steel can’t simply teleport across the map.

Only historically authentic vehicles feature in the game, ranging from mass-produced models to sufficiently documented prototypes. No fictional designs — every vehicle is researched from historical documents and consultation with experts.

ODIN Fleet: The Infrastructure for Matches of Any Size#

For a successful multiplayer game, you need a reliable infrastructure that operates globally. Just as important are communication and trust.

We take “Made in Germany” seriously and therefore expect honesty, cooperation on equal terms and European values from our partners. Large US companies were therefore not an option.

Michael Schmotz, CEO of Armative Studios

ODIN Fleet won over the developers for several reasons:

European and GDPR-Compliant — ODIN Fleet is operated by the Hamburg-based company 4Players GmbH. No Cloud Act in the world can override European data protection under the GDPR. This creates transparency and trust. For a game that aims to embody fairness, these were crucial factors.

Low Latency and High Performance — ODIN Fleet’s network is global, with server locations in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. Every match runs on a dedicated server that operates in isolation from other games — no shared-resource conflicts, no performance drops.

Simplicity and Cost-Efficiency — Servers are automatically scaled up and down as required and updates are seamlessly integrated. Fixed prices with no hidden charges make ODIN Fleet predictable, particularly for small studios and especially compared to the unexpected cost escalations associated with hyperscalers.

Shortly after we discovered ODIN Fleet, it was clear: this is exactly the infrastructure we need. No AWS chaos and no skyrocketing costs. Just servers that simply work.

Michael Schmotz, CEO of Armative Studios

How Armative Studios Combined ODIN Fleet and Nakama#

The decisive meeting took place at Gamescom 2025 in Cologne. That’s where the founders of Armative not only got to know ODIN Fleet, but also the team behind Heroic Labs’ game server backend, Nakama. Nakama immediately won over the developers with its open-source approach — an ideal complement to ODIN Fleet’s transparent, clearly calculable platform approach.

But something was still missing: Nakama and ODIN Fleet had previously been separate systems, with no simple, direct connection between them. Armative wasn’t going to let that stop them.

Developers at Armative and ODIN’s DevOps team tackled the challenge together. Their goal was to create an adapter that would allow Nakama to be easily connected to ODIN Fleet. Today, the integration is seamless:

• Nakama stores player accounts and handles matchmaking for the battles
• ODIN Fleet automatically provisions a dedicated server for each match without any manual effort
• The server runs only for the duration of the game; results are fed back to Nakama for evaluation. Afterwards, the server is reset — avoiding both unnecessary costs and idle servers

With ODIN, we were able to combine a solid server infrastructure with a proven game backend. We certainly wouldn’t have received the level of support and trust that ODIN provided from one of the big players.

Alexander Huber, CTO of Armative Studios

ODIN Fleet + Nakama vs. Traditional Cloud#

Where Is Steel Aces Rolling Towards?#

Steel Aces is currently in the final phase before its Early Access release. The launch is scheduled for early summer 2026. The top dogs will then face a new challenger, brought to the community by a small German team with support from ODIN Fleet and Nakama.

The developers have long been planning their next steps:

• Monetisation primarily through cosmetic upgrades (skins, lettering & decals) and collector’s vehicles with no gameplay advantage
• Content for years to come — a long-term roadmap featuring historically significant story campaigns with co-op and single-player modes, as well as well over a thousand vehicles from all over the world
• Larger matches (24vs24+) and further features such as voice chat, expansion of the clan concept and dynamic events

With ODIN Fleet and Nakama, we’ve laid the foundations for a game that can scale almost indefinitely. Now it’s about making it even better. With Steel Aces, we’re breathing new life into an old genre. Anyone who isn’t satisfied with the existing options should find a new home with us.

Michael Schmotz, CEO of Armative Studios

Fair Gaming — And How You Benefit#

Thanks to the partnership with Armative Studios, the integration of Nakama and ODIN Fleet now works simply, quickly and seamlessly. A tried-and-tested game backend meets a powerful server network. The result is a well-thought-out concept that delights players and takes the pressure off developers.

ODIN Fleet is the infrastructure that not only works, but is also fair, scalable and cost-effective. No impenetrable hyperscalers, no hidden costs. Just a solution that gives developers the freedom to focus on what matters most: their game.