A downloadable game

East vs. West – A Hearts of Iron Game, abbreviated as EvsW, is a planned grand strategy wargame set during the Cold war era between 1946–1991.

East vs. West, like many of its predecessors in the Hearts of Iron series, would have allowed for the player to take control of and manage a country including its political, diplomatic, espionage, economic, military, and technological aspects. In contrast to previous instalments in the Hearts of Iron series, the game was to be set in the Cold War Era, and not focus mainly on large-scale warfare. The use of nuclear weapons in game would have been possible, but limited by a nation's state of emergency.

East vs. West was not an expansion for Hearts of Iron III, but rather intended as a standalone game.

Features

The main focus of the game were the diplomatic, political, economic, military and espionage aspects of countries during the Cold War period and the decisions the player make in regards to them.

Confirmed features included:

  • New espionage system utilizing "spy cards"
  • An extended political module.
  • A Doomsday Clock indicating how close the in game world is to total destruction.
  • The presence of the United Nations to intervene in global events.
  • The ability to customize ships.
  • Nuclear arms race and warfare is expanded by a nuclear mapmode, uranium as a resource, factories (centrifuges) to produce enriched fission material, ICBMs that can be launched from silos, nuclear submarines and a red button.

The game was scheduled to retain many features included in Hearts of Iron III, such as control over the armed forces, the strategic warfare system, user mods-friendliness, and a multiplayer system with up to 32 players.