The Imperial Realm: Miranda Early Access Begins, Playtest This Weekend

Robert Basler's seamless, open-world MMORTS The Imperial Realm: Miranda has officially entered Early Access. Players can now purchase access to the game and jump into the desolate world of Miranda, where they will take part in combat against as many other players as are online. The game is based on RTS classics like Command and Conquer—anyone familiar with the genre should be able to pick it up in no time.

Several Early Access tiers are available, starting at $5. Many tiers only unlock access to "select" weekend playtests, whereas the $35 Deluxe Edition gives unlimited access as soon as Beta begins and the $60 Ultimate Edition allows players to start playing as soon as they download the game. Those who simply want to play during select weekend playtests can purchase the $5 Launch Week Edition, which functions as "a trial account," albeit they will only be able to play for a week at launch before needing to purchase the "full game."

The first select weekend playtest will be held this weekend, beginning on May 12th at 1 PM PDT / 4 PM EDT and ending on May 14th at 5 PM PDT / 8 PM EDT.

Basler had the following to say about the announcement.

When World of Warcraft came out in 2004, I was amazed by its huge world and immediately thought how fun it would be to play an RTS in a giant open world like that. I never imagined it would take 13 years for someone to make that game, or that I'd be the one to do it.

The current plan is that The Imperial Realm: Miranda will only be in Early Access until approximately May 2018. It is not yet known what the final price will be, but I imagine that it will be close to that of the $25 Standard Edition. You can find more information on the official website.