If you thought Minecraft's two and a half year beta period was lengthy, take a look at the game Notch previously worked on. Wurm Online is a free MMO in which everything is crafted and created by players. After existing as an open beta since 2006, it will finally get an official 1.0 release next week on December 12th.

In a post on the Wurm Online dev blog , the game's team outline what that release will entail. The big new features will be character customisation, visible armour, multi story buildings and better looking creatures. They also plan to add a new server, giving any players attracted by the new update a newbie-friendly place to try the game out.

We've had a presence in the game for a few years now, and anyone tempted to try Wurm out can check out our community sub-forum for details of where to find our in-game villages.

Thanks, Reddit .