The official beta for Paradox and Fatshark’s War of the Roses has begun, the Swedish publisher announced today. Over 100,000 gamers have been added to the beta roster so far, and more are welcome to sign up as players are being let in. The publisher also announced today that the game would be available for pre-order from August 20th.

“It’s a real testament to the hard work that Fatshark has put into the game, that over 100,000 people have signed up for the Beta,” said senior producer Gordon Van Dyke. “The level of enthusiasm that people have had to start playing has been incredible, and we can’t wait to hear what they think once they’re actually in the game.”

“Our goal right now is to make sure every last person who signed up [gets in], but forging 100,000 swords takes a while,” he added. “We’ll be letting folks in, following the priority order we’ve set, and I’ll see every last one of you on the battlefield!”

A new development diary has also been released, which you can see embedded above, or find on YouTube here. War of the Roses is slated for launch sometime in the third quarter of this year. You can sign up for the beta here.