Matrix Games

Hi everyone,

we are glad to announce that the Scandinavia DLC launches on February 26th.

Ahead of release, one of the developers joined Shermanator on YouTube for a detailed interview discussing the new nations, units, and design decisions behind the expansion.

You can watch the full interview here:

and just below you’ll also find a summary of the conversation.

INTERVIEW

SHERMAN:
Nikola, please feel free to introduce yourself.

NIKOLA:
Good afternoon and thank you for having me. I’m Nikola, one of the Armored Brigade 2 developers. I mainly work on the database and on some of the game content.

SHERMAN:
Awesome. Thank you for sitting down and having a little chat with me. Let’s jump right into the questions. First: what made the team decide to go specifically with a Scandinavian DLC?

NIKOLA:
Well, first of all we wanted to complete Europe in terms of the Cold War setting. Sweden was basically the last fully unique army left to cover. We actually had Sweden many years ago when Armored Brigade was freeware, and we decided to reintroduce it now across the full time span.

Adding Sweden naturally led to including Norway and Denmark as well. Each of them is interesting in its own right and fits very well into a Cold War context.

SHERMAN:
So basically, once you were doing Sweden, it made sense to include Norway and Denmark and complete the trio?

NIKOLA:
Exactly. In the past we usually released two countries at a time, but this format felt more appropriate. Norway and Denmark have relatively small armies, so combining them works well.

We already had Finland, since Juha Kellokoski — the creator of the game — is Finnish, so now we basically have the whole of Northern Europe.

They also bring very different climates, terrain, and especially doctrines. Sweden in particular had a completely different approach to warfare compared to typical NATO or Warsaw Pact armies. And their equipment is extremely unique.

SHERMAN:
Perfect, let’s talk about equipment.

The DLC includes three new armies — Sweden, Denmark, and Norway — and over 500 new air and ground units. Could you pick one favorite unit from each nation and explain why you like it?

NIKOLA:
For Sweden it’s hard to pick just one because they have so many unique systems, but the obvious choice is the S-Tank, the Strv 103 turretless tank. It wasn’t a tank destroyer; it was a proper tank, even without a turret, which is an endless debate in the armor community.

Sweden also modernized many vehicles with roots going back to World War II and kept them viable almost until the end of the Cold War. Their equipment is almost entirely domestic, aside from the Centurion, which they heavily modified.

They were also among the first Western users of explosive reactive armor. Norway and Denmark, on the other hand, relied more on mixed foreign equipment — German, American, British, sometimes Swedish — which makes their forces interesting in a different way.

For example, Denmark used the M41 light tank all the way to the end of the Cold War, upgrading it and using it as both tank destroyer and reconnaissance vehicle. Norway used the even older M24 Chaffee into the mid-1970s and kept some in the Home Guard until the end of the Cold War — modernized with a new French gun and fire-control system.

And something very characteristic of Norway (also used by Sweden) is the Bandvagn, basically a tracked transport vehicle, extremely important for mobility in the far north.

SHERMAN:
The store page mentions a Swedish branching campaign, a Danish linear campaign, and three standalone missions. Are all of these played from the new nations’ perspectives?

NIKOLA:
Mostly yes. There are over 15 missions total, though the branching campaign makes counting difficult. Some missions are from the Soviet and East German perspective. Poland was historically intended for Baltic landing operations, but since we plan to rework the Polish faction, we avoided including it in the campaign to prevent future compatibility issues.

So overall the focus is the DLC nations, with some additional flavor from Warsaw Pact forces.

SHERMAN:
You mentioned 500+ new units, are those only for the three Scandinavian nations, or will other factions also receive additions?

NIKOLA:
These are purely Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian units.

However, base-game countries are periodically updated with free patches. The next one will likely include Poland, since that faction needs a rework based on new documentation.

Eventually we aim to complete everything.

SHERMAN:
The DLC page talks about unique doctrines and tactical challenges.
Can you give an example of how that affects gameplay?

NIKOLA:
Mostly in campaigns and scenarios.

Norway, for example, historically relied heavily on infantry and wasn’t suited for balanced dynamic battles, so missions are designed accordingly.

Their platoons include heavy machine guns at a lower level, giving strong base firepower. Sweden, meanwhile, equips infantry with large amounts of anti-tank weapons, including HE rounds for recoilless rifles, far more extensively than other countries.

Large-scale doctrinal differences — battalion-level tactics — are best represented through scenario design rather than purely mechanical rules.

SHERMAN:
You previously mentioned possibly expanding beyond the Cold War.
Any plans for other eras? Maybe World War II?

NIKOLA:
For now, we’re focusing on Europe. We plan to re-release original Armored Brigade countries like France and Yugoslavia using the improved engine features.

Some upcoming features — like first-person drones — are primarily intended for modders. We’re adding flexibility so other time periods can be represented better, though I can’t disclose specific projects yet.

SHERMAN:
And finally, the question everyone wants answered: when does the DLC release?

NIKOLA:
February 26th. We’re currently beta testing to ensure stability. Players will be able to try the campaigns and units next week.

This DLC is also significantly larger than previous ones — more than double — partly because Sweden turned out to be almost as large as the US Army in terms of formations once I accessed Swedish military archives. I was expecting something much more…

SHERMAN:
Compact…?

NIKOLA:
Yeah exactly. I expected around 300 units, it became 500.

Research for Denmark and especially Norway was harder, but also fascinating, sometimes relying on records from former servicemen because archives were destroyed.

SHERMAN:
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate you coming on.

The DLC releases in late February 2026, so make sure to check it out.