Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord is out now, after 7 years of waiting

(Image credit: TaleWorlds)

Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord has been one of our most anticipated games since it was announced all the way back in 2012, and after seven years it's finally out now in Early Access. You could be playing it this very second instead of reading PC gaming news.

If you weren't paying attention last week, this might be a surprise. Developer Taleworlds decided to cheer up a gloomy world by pushing the release date forward by a day, as well as knocking down the price by 10 percent (or 20 percent, if you also own another game in the series).

Here's the teaser that first kicked off the long wait:

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Seven years of teasing means there are a lot of expectations, but it will take around a year, according to TaleWorlds, for us to see the end result. It's not going to be a brisk testing phase, then, but it does look like there's quite a lot already in the game.

There's the campaign, where you can wander the world, getting into fights, laying siege to castles, dabbling in empire management and, when you're ready to put your feet up, starting a family. And if you've got a competitive streak, you can also flail around and try to murder your fellow players in four multiplayer modes, with or without armies to back you up.

If you're not ready to jump in just yet, keep an eye out for my Early Access impressions, appearing soon.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.