War of the Roses goes into beta, first invites going out

There aren't many multiplayer games out there based around melee combat, in fact aside from MMOs and sword mode in Halo (and a few other gimmicky melee modes in shooters,) we're not sure if there are any at all. So we've been watchingWar of the Rosesvery carefully, as it could bring a whole new dimension to online competitive bloodshed.

Today Paradox Interactive announced that the game has progressed into the beta testing phase, and they have begun rolling out invitations to the game's fans. They said they've received 100,000 beta sign-ups so far, but will begin by handing out passes in waves so if you're interested in a little bit of free neck-slicing be sure to sign up.

War of the Roses is being developed by Fatshark, the Swedish studio behind Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West. It's based on the bloody conflict in England between the years 1455 and 1485 between the houses of Lancaster and York. In WotR, players pledge allegiance to one of the two houses and set out on the battlefield to take down the enemies of their house with swords, bows, and rudimentary handguns.