Blue Byte and Ubisoft have revealed new details about the gameplay and upcoming beta for The Settlers – Kingdoms of Anteria.

The Settlers series of city-building and management games has been a long-time favorite of many PC gamers (or, for some of the more old school, Amiga gamers too.) Now Blue Byte and their parent company Ubisoft are hoping to bring the series’ classic appeal to a whole new generation of gamers with the latest release in the epic series, The Settlers – Kingdoms of Anteria.

The Settlers – Kingdoms of Anteria offers a unique combination of persistent city building and real-time action strategy. Players will work to build up, control and optimise their production chains and economy to unlock building upgrades and new sectors, resulting in kingdoms growing larger than ever before. They will also have the opportunity to face-off against fierce enemies and frightening bosses in tactical battles to earn resources and special loot as they level up. Players can choose the champion class and skill set that best suits their play style from the thousands of different combinations possible.

In addition to the classic elements players have come to expect from the series, The Settlers – Kingdoms of Anteria is also set to include a new, revamped multiplayer element.

Players can also team-up with up to three friends to dive into adventures that will help them collect loot while discovering the secrets of the untamed lands of Anteria. They can also visit and trade resources with friends to create a healthy supply chain and economic growth. No matter what players prefer, they will be able to focus gameplay on their favourite feature, either developing the Settlers’ kingdom and optimising the economy or seeking tactical fights and new adventures.

Oh, there’s also a trailer:

For many long-time fans of the Settlers series, Kingdoms of Anteria is set to be a make or break point for the series as a whole. Developers Blue Byte have had a lot of success in recent years with series like Anno, but the last few Settlers games have fallen short of many fans’ expectations for the series. With the company also making a drive toward social, F2P and mobile games, player expectations are mixed at best. With any luck the game’s showing at Gamescom in Germany later this month, as well as its upcoming closed beta, will help to alleviate some of those fears.