The game is commonly recognized as the first MMOFPS. Following the purchase of Interactive Creations of Grapevine's "WarBirds" by IEntertainment Network in 1999, several of the developers departed the company and formed new gaming companies. Some went to form Hitech Creations, others went with John "Killer" MacQueen, Jonathon "Hoof" Hoof, Chris "Mo" Sherland to leverage their experience on "WarBirds" and "Raider Wars" to develop an online gaming network (G2 Network) with a massively-multiplayer first-person WWII simulation for both PC and Mac as the showpiece. After a lengthy closed beta stage, "WWIIOL" went live on June 6, 2001 under the campaign title "Blitzkrieg". The release was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the D-Day.