Stardock announced its next major PC game, Elemental: War of Magic today. Stardock, the company that has released such award-winning PC games such as Galactic Civilizations, Ironclad’s Sins of a Solar Empire and is nearing the release date of Gas Powered Games’ Demigod has set the retail launch date of Elemental: War of Magic (www.elementalgame.com) for the first quarter of 2010 at $49.95 with a public beta starting next Spring.

Like all Stardock titles, Elemental: War of Magic will include no on-disk DRM and will be available for re-download and updates through the Impulse digital distribution platform (www.impulsedriven.com) regardless of wherever it is purchased.

Elemental: War of Magic is set in a world filled with magic and ancient lore. As the ruler of your kingdom, you must expand your empire through a combination of magical power, military might, diplomatic skill, technological advancement and bold adventuring. Your worlds will be of your choosing, or players are free to create their own.

The story of Elemental: War of Magic begins with an immersive single player campaign with you being the only person in your kingdom with the ability to channel magic through mysterious shards of magic that are scattered across the world. These shards, a result of a tremendous cataclysm that occurred a century prior when powerful beings waged war across the world, are the source of much of the world’s magic.

With the powers of old now gone, you now hold the key to the use of magic in your land. As ruler of your land and a channeler of magic, you must decide how much of your power to imbue into your heroes as you build new cities, explore dungeons, perfect spells of ever-increasing power and negotiate with friends and foes alike. Other channelers in the world, whether they be of the race of Men, The Fallen or the Beasts, are also able to access magic and may not share your vision of the world.

Harnessing the technology of ImpulseReactor™, ground-breaking multiplayer modes include traditional skirmish modes as well as a persistent universe mode. Additionally, integrated modding support allows players to submit maps, items, creatures, races, technologies, spells, buildings, environments and much more from right within the game and become available to all players of the game seamlessly.

A public beta is scheduled for the second quarter of 2009. For more information, please visit www.stardock.com or www.elementalgame.com.