War of the Vikings Now Playable in Alpha via Steam Early Access, Paradox Offers Early Access to Hurly Axes

NEW YORK — October 1, 2013 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a fan of longboats, today opened War of the Vikings on Steam’s Early Access program. War of the Vikings, the upcoming multiplayer close-combat game from Fatshark, can be purchased and played immediately thanks to the Steam Early Access program, allowing players to follow the growth of the game firsthand as it makes its way through the development process. Early Access players will be able to shape the future of War of the Vikings from the inside, and will receive the finished product at no extra cost when complete. The ongoing Viking/Saxon conflict can be joined now on Steam Early Access at http://store.steampowered.com/app/234530/.

“After the first well-received War of the Vikings Alpha we began planning for the next phase and explored all options available to us,” said Gordon Van Dyke, Executive Producer of the War franchise. “We already knew we wanted to do another public Alpha and Beta, and we’d planned to offer pre-orders. After consideration, it was a no-brainer to go with Steam Early Access and kill two birds with one axe, and give our community ample opportunity to help shape the final product.”

War of the Vikings Alpha participants and owners of War of the Roses: Kingmaker Edition will get a free sample of Early Access from October 1 to October 4, 2013. Gamers who own War of the Roses: Kingmaker Edition and/or Mount&Blade: Warband are also offered a discount of 10% off the regular Early Access price for the first month of availability.

Multiple packages are available for purchase during Early Access, including a Standard Edition, or the Blood Eagle Edition that will include a digital concept art book and soundtrack alongside exclusive gear. The incredible Valhalla Edition, War of the Vikings’ most premium package, will come with all in-game content unlocked, and will also grant access to all future content at no extra charge – along with the digital concept art book and an extended Deluxe Edition soundtrack. Every edition also grants players membership in the Early Access Club, which includes bonus loot and an additional shield pattern when the game is released.

War of the Vikings will be available in Q1 2014, for more information visit http://www.warofthevikings.com/.