For as long as anyone can remember, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord has been a thing of legend. Old men whispered that it still lived, while the young people scoffed at them. It's become the stuff of games writing memes, because every time you do a story about Bannerlord, the only comments are along the lines of, "release date WHEN?"

Well, developer TaleWorlds has finally committed to a launch date of sorts. Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord will enter Steam's early access program in March 2020. Fraser was fairly shocked reporting news of the closed beta earlier this year, and I can only echo those feelings when I type the following words: You will be able to play Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord in less than one Gregorian calendar year.

The hype for a new Mount & Blade game is probably fairly confusing for anyone who hasn't experienced the singular joy of leading a raiding party in Warband. The basic idea behind Mount & Blade is that you play as a single character, a leader who builds up an army by gradually gaining notoriety and wealth, carving out each step of your path in battle, alongside your comrades. It's a heady power fantasy, but it's been nearly ten years since the last new game came out.

If that's not enough to get you excited, have a look at this trailer:

Isn't it just awesome? Barded horses charging through the forest! Trebuchets letting loose at castle walls! Pikemen forming up in a desert sandstorm! It's basically like Total War, except you're actually there, on the battlefield, doling out bread to your soldiers and barking commands from horseback.

Anyway, yes, folks (and by folks, I mean me) are pretty amped about this game and after many long years, we now have an actual timeframe to mark on our calendars. Next spring, we ride.