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| Air Warrior | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Kesmai |
| Publisher(s) | Konami (Air Warrior SVGA) |
| Platform(s) | Windows, 3DO, Amiga, Atari ST, CDTV, FM Towns, Mac OS |
| Release | 1987 |
| Genre(s) | Air combat simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Air Warrior was a multiplayer online combat flight simulation game launched by Kesmai in 1987. It was hosted on GEnie and used that service as a server for client software running on a variety of personal computers. It underwent continual improvement through its decade-long lifetime with Kesmai, appearing on new platforms and host services. Electronic Arts purchased Air Warrior in 1999, and became provider of the game, but it was discontinued in 2001. Sequels Air Warrior II and Air Warrior III were both released in 1997 and published by Interactive Magic.
Air Warrior was one of the first massive online games, hosting hundreds of users during busy periods. It inspired WarBirds, which in turn inspired Aces High, while other members of the Warbirds team went on to produce World War II Online. Today there are a number of similar games, like WarThunder, most of them based on a freemium model.