Otherland, a long in-development MMO, is playable this month

In the '90s I devoured Tad Williams' sci-fi fantasy novels, all the while thinking "jeez, this would make an incredible video game". Flash forward fifteen years, and it looks like my dream will come true imminently, because Otherland – an MMO based on Williams' series of the same name – will finally hit Early Access later this month.

The game was actually announced way back in 2008, but after a series of hurdles Drago Entertainment has announced the full game will launch in 2016. It's no surprise to me that it has taken so long, because any game attempting to render Williams' universe digitally is going to have a hard time. My memory is foggy, but the overall premise is that a group of explorers visit a range of hugely different virtual reality worlds.

The Early Access page corroborates this: "Embark on exciting adventures in a virtual multiverse with worlds ranging from fantasy to sci-fi. Built on the Unreal-engine, the Otherland MMO features beautiful graphics, action-based combat with direct controls, PVE and PVP, a rich storyline and complex RPG character development with four classes and numerous skills."

The trailer below gives a better feel for what the game will offer. The MMO market is a bit unstable at the moment, but if Otherland fulfills the promises of its concept then it'll be well worth the wait. It launches on Early Access August 26.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.