Of Kings And Men Brings Massive, 200-Player Battles To Steam Early Access Today

Of Kings and Men is an MMO that is being developed by Donkey Crew, a team that consists mostly of modders that worked on the Mount and Blade: Warband cRPG mod. Originally announced in June, the game is a "persistent medieval war" that allows upwards of 200 players to fight over territories in instanced battles using a combat system that looks reminiscent of Mount and Blade.

We will finally be able to get our hands on an early version of the game today when it launches on Steam Early Access. At present, the war part of the game is the most prevalent. As Early Access progresses, the developers will be adding "strategic elements," such as moving armies around on a wargame-inspired "board" and the ability to co-operatively build fortifications.

The first version of the strategic wargame portion of the game will go live on September 1st. Players will be able to "raise and design troops and fight over territory and resources, with the battles played out in the actual game." The plan is to develop an "open world sandbox" that takes place "'below' this strategic layer."

Of Kings and Men is a buy-to-play title. If the GreenManGaming page is anything to go off of, it will cost around $25, perhaps with a 15% launch discount. The price is expected to go up after Early Access.

Matt's Take:

Of Kings and Men looks quite promising. An MMORPG with Mount and Blade-like combat is something that many users in the MMO community have wanted for quite some time and Of Kings and Men seems to deliver that experience. On top of that, it promises an overarching strategic layer with a neverending persistent war and the ability to build castles and other fortifications for players that want a bit more purpose to their battles. There's a lot to look forward to and I'm eager to see if the team can pull it off.