Information is power and in the right or wrong hands, can change the course of the world simply with the push of a button. A well-timed release of sensitive data can bring the most powerful swiftly to their knees and crumble empires in an instant.

In Firewall Zero Hour, two teams of mercenaries are hired by anonymous contract handlers to either protect or obtain highly sensitive information on a laptop in dangerous and exotic locations around the globe. Each team's anonymous contract handler acts as their "eye in the sky" and guides each match by providing objectives and critical mission information along the way. Their only concern is the data and they are willing to pay you handsomely for it.

• As Attackers, your team's objectives are: Bypass the Firewall access points, Locate the Laptop and Initiate the Hack.
• As Defenders, your team's objectives are: Secure the Firewall access points, Protect the Laptop and Prevent the Hack.

Each team accomplishes these objectives through highly-coordinated teamwork with an arsenal of modern weapons and offensive/defensive equipment to help their team and hinder the other. Players are rewarded in-game with cryptocurrency and experience points upon the successful completion of contracts/matches and can use those currencies to upgrade contractors, weapons, equipment, load-outs and cosmetic customization.

Arriving October 22, the latest Operation finally brings our Contractors to the Heartland — the land of Red, White, and Blue — the United States of America! The trailer above will give you a taste of what’s in store this season. You can never be too prepared, Contractor.

To recap last season, our Contractors were dropped into the underworld of Operation: Dark Web. Players welcomed a ton of new content added to the game, including two new maps (Newsroom and Cargo), two new Contractors (Kane and Proxy), two new weapons (Z1 Reaper and Sten), and three new pieces of equipment (Motion Sensor, Instant Smoke, and Concussion Mine). Not too mention the vast amount of cosmetic rewards, earned by players completing weekly missions throughout the eight weeks.

With the launch of Operation: Heartland, we keep the momentum going! All players can complete this season’s Free missions to earn Free cosmetic rewards, and with an Op Pass ($9.99 USD), players unlock additional Premium and Bonus missions weekly, for additional cosmetic Rewards.

New Maps

Operation: Heartland will have two new maps, free for all players, with the first map — Prepper — launching tomorrow. The Prepper map takes place in a doomsday prepper’s bunker network, somewhere on the edge of Arizona, and the edge of society. Keep an eye on the TV screens and conspiracy boards existing in the Prepper bunker. You never know what you might find!

Players will also find themselves immediately in this scene when loading up the game, as the Prepper bunker is the new Main Menu and Lobby environment this season. Later on this season, Operation: Heartland’s mid-season update coming November 26 will introduce another brand new free map to players, called Gauntlet. Gauntlet is a training ground located in the state of Virginia, and will be an instant favorite for fans of Firewall Zero Hour’s Shoothouse map.

New Contractors

This season brings two more Contractors into the fray! The two new Contractors and their Skills are accessible via the Operation: Heartland Op Pass. The first Contractor, available tomorrow, is Bear. An expert hunter and tracker, Bear grew up in the state of North Carolina, and later served his country as a marksman in an elite military division. His Skill of “Hunter” removes the red enemy chevron above his character. Players are sure to be fans of running as Bear, with his expert stealth “Hunter” Skill making him even harder for enemies to detect! Additionally, coming mid-season on November 26 is a second Contractor, Dom. Dom is our first Contractor from France, and his Skill of “Survivalist” will allow players to receive an additional downed state.

New Equipment

Operation: Heartland’s mid-season update will bring a new piece of lethal equipment to your arsenal: the Nerve Gas Mine. Free for all players, the Nerve Gas Mine unlocks at Level 17 and for 7300 Crypto. The Nerve Gas Mine is that perfect mix of both tactical and lethal abilities in one piece of equipment–making it a great choice for both Attackers and Defenders. After placement, the Nerve Gas Mine is activated by enemies who enter its radius. Once triggered, the mine emits a lethal cloud of gas, causing enemies to take damage over time, and eventually be killed if they stay inside the radius too long.

New Weapons

Also coming in Firewall Zero Hour – Operation: Heartland are two new weapons: the TC1 Crossbow and the Classic Reg K8, available upon completion of their corresponding Free Missions.

The TC1 Crossbow is a modern crossbow that shoots bolts, perfect for quieter take downs. The TC1 Crossbow is available Week 1. And coming Week 5 (mid-season) is the Classic Reg K8, an iconic bull-pup design that features a fully-automatic rate of fire. It’s a powerful assault rifle for medium to long distance engagements that packs a punch. Players will use both of these weapons in a variety of new Missions throughout Operation: Heartland.

New Legendary Weapon Skin

The Legendary Weapon Skin of Operation: Heartland is Meiko’s ZS — available to Op Pass holders who complete all Free, Premium and Bonus Missions in Operation: Heartland (a total of 24 missions) and redeemed for 250,000 Crypto.

New Cosmetic Rewards

There are over 24 new cosmetic Rewards are available this season. Upon completion of Missions, a variety of different trinkets, face paints, and camo skins can be equipped by players. In addition to Free Mission Rewards, Op Pass holders have access to Premium and Bonus Mission Rewards. This season also marks the first time that different colored lasers for weapons will be available as Rewards!

Free Blood & Truth Trinket

We’re super psyched to have partnered with Sony London Studio on an exclusive Blood & Truth trinket, available for free in-game for all Firewall Zero Hour players starting tomorrow. Customize your weapon in Firewall Zero Hour with the Blood & Truth Poker Chip trinket, and show that you may have spent a bit of time in a certain London casino.

Hack Keys

One of the most popular items in Firewall Zero Hour, Hack Keys, are available as a bundle with this season’s Op Pass (Op Pass + 25 Hack Keys, $29.99 USD), as well as on their own (5 Hack Keys pack, $4.99 USD). Each Hack Key allows you to instantly complete one Operational Mission. You won’t gain XP for Missions completed this way, but you’ll be instantly awarded full Crypto, in addition to the Mission Reward (cosmetics only). Hack Keys are a great option for players who don’t have as much time to play as they would like. Also, if you have any Hack Keys left over from last season (Operation: Dark Web), you can use them on Missions this season (Operation: Heartland).

New Bundles – Firewall Zero Hour Digital Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Pack

We’re excited to announce that, beginning tomorrow, Firewall Zero Hour is getting an exclusive Digital Deluxe Edition and Deluxe Pack on the PS store! Perfect for those new to the game, the Deluxe Edition and Pack feature all of the most popular Contractors, skins, and face paints released for Firewall Zero Hour since launch.

The Digital Deluxe Edition ($39.99) includes the following:

• Firewall Zero Hour – The Game
• Contractors: Jag, Nash, Node, Ruby, Lynx, Kane, Proxy
• Camo Skins: Banana, Bella, Dark Carbon, Fractal, Graffik, Lava, Snakeskin, Sunset
• Face Paints: Aztec, Clownface, Eagle, Fierce, Janus, Kiwi, Rotten
• Weapon Skins: Banana, Bella, Dark Carbon, Fractal, Graffik, Lava, Snakeskin, Sunset

The Deluxe Pack ($19.99) includes the following:

• Contractors: Jag, Nash, Node, Ruby, Lynx, Kane, Proxy
• Camo Skins: Banana, Bella, Dark Carbon, Fractal, Graffik, Lava, Snakeskin, Sunset
• Face Paints: Aztec, Clownface, Eagle, Fierce, Janus, Kiwi, Rotten
• Weapon Skins: Banana, Bella, Dark Carbon, Fractal, Graffik, Lava, Snakeskin, Sunset

When you pick up a PS VR Aim Controller or DualShock 4 to play Firewall Zero Hour, we want you to immediately notice a heavy emphasis on organized, tactical firefights, team communication, and realistic pacing. That's not to say that combat won't be intense and visceral; whether you're exchanging fire across a hallway or peeking over cover to shoot at a distant hostile, the goal is satisfying, thrilling gunplay. We also want you to feel the tension of defending your position, strategically laying down traps and identifying key vantage points with your teammates. The drama of hacking into a shortcut to your objective or a dark passage illuminated solely by your flashlight is heightened by super-realistic environments and dynamic shadows that bring moments like these to life in truly unique ways.

Of course, the most exciting aspect of Firewall Zero Hour is that all of this takes place in VR, allowing you alone, or with your friends through PlayStation Plus (required for multiplayer), to be transported and immersed into the action in a way that's never been possible before until now, through the magic and presence of VR.

Firewall Zero Hour is currently available on PS4.