Paradox Interactive and Seatribe just announced that the opening of the Beta sign-ups for their upcoming MMO, Salem, is slated to go live tomorrow. Developed by Seatribe, Salem is set in the New World as pilgrims from Europe attempt to settle on the frontier.
Seatribe describes Salem as a "unique core gaming experience for MMO players and crafting enthusiasts," offering a permanent death mechanic in which characters can die to the environment. There's a lot of the Oregon Trail about the game.
"We’ve been getting Beta requests from gamers since we announced Salem and it’s great to finally be able to let people into the beta testing" said Björn Johannessen , lead designer at Seatribe. "We’ve chosen to keep the sign up completely open, the more the merrier, and will do our best to listen to all feedback we get."
Salem is a free-to-play MMO and scheduled to release in Q3, 2012. Sign up for the Beta here.