TaleWorlds Entertainment has announced that Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will be releasing into Early Access a day early. This is in response to concerns the current coronavirus pandemic would delay the release date.
The news comes via the Steam Announcements page where TaleWorlds also takes the time to explain new features, localization plans, and multiplayer game modes.
“After eight years of blood, sweat, and tears, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s Early Access release is finally upon us. In just a few short days you will be able to gird on your sword, don your armour, summon your followers and ride forth to win glory on the battlefields of Calradia!
But before we move on to discuss the release of the game, we want to take a moment to talk about the current coronavirus pandemic. It probably goes without saying, but this certainly isn’t the scenario we envisaged for the release of the game. However, we have tried to make the best of a bad situation and thankfully, with the help of our IT team, have been able to continue work on the project from home. This has come with its own challenges of course, but we are still very grateful and lucky to work in an industry where it is possible to work remotely, which we know isn’t the case for many of you. It might seem like a pretty ideal time to release a game (after all, everyone is at home right!?), but we know that the current situation has placed a lot of people in a difficult position when it comes to balancing their finances and risking their health.
With that in mind, we have decided to make the game available for 10% off for the first two weeks of sale. In addition to this, anyone who owns any previous Mount & Blade title will be eligible for an additional 10% off in select digital stores. Also, you can breathe a sigh of relief because there won’t be a delay… In fact, quite the opposite! We have decided to bring forward the release of the game to 10.00 am UTC, March 30th.”
The coronavirus (also known as COVID-19 officially, or Chinese Flu to others) has affected many worldwide, from businesses to public gatherings and events. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
This includes the postponement of GDC, and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, along with the cancellation of E3 2020. At this time, Gamescom 2020 is still being prepared, with organizers monitoring local regulations and the virus’ spread.
The Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering are mapping the virus’ spread [1, 2]. As of this time of writing, there have been almost 586,000 confirmed cases worldwide, and over 26,800 deaths. Over 131,000 people have made a “total recovery.”
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord enters Early Access March 30th on Windows PC (via Steam), with Playstation 4, and Xbox One on full release.
