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TaleWorlds has led an early charge into Gamescom with an announcement that Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord\u2014first announced (opens in new tab)<\/span> when the world was young and dinosaurs roamed the Earth\u2014will finally leave Early Access on October 25. The announcement of the release date was even accompanied by a new trailer, showcasing the white-knuckle tension of medieval sieges, battles, and opening a small business.<\/p>\n

If you’ve played any Bannerlord while it’s been in Early Access, it doesn’t look much different, but it will be strange to live in a world where Mount & Blade 2 is actually out, rather than in some liminal space between announcement and full release. The game was one of my most-anticipated releases for nearly all of the last decade, from its announcement in 2012 until it finally got an Early Access release (opens in new tab)<\/span> in March 2020. I don’t know what I’ll do with myself now that it’s a fully-realised thing.<\/p>\n