Salem Announced

We apparently missed one announcement that came out of Paradox Interactive's recent press event in New York City, as PC Gamer reports that Haven & Hearth developer Seatribe is hard at work on Salem, a new skill-based MMORPG that isn't for the lighthearted, permadeath-despising crowd. Sounds a lot like Ultima Online in its early years:
The MMORPG is set in a mythical version of New England, and see players stepping off a boat in Boston and then having to fend for themselves in the '˜New World'.

The game puts emphasis on a player-driven world that promotes crafting skills. Even more interesting, when your character dies he's gone forever, leaving all your creations to be pillaged by other players. Harsh.

Whilst only in the early stages of development, Salem is due for a 2011 release.

For even more info, here's a video interview with creative director Bjorn Johannesse:



And some alpha footage: