Shadowrun Online by Cliffhanger Productions has been under construction for a long time. The game's Kickstarter campaign ended in the summer of 2012 with an initial release date of 2013. Obviously, that didn't work out, but there is good news. On March 31, players and backers will be able to get their hands on the game via Steam's Early Access program.
However, the Shadowrun Online that will soon be playable won't be close to the game's final version. This initial release is described as a prequel to the game's main campaign, and while including much of the core gameplay, will not include future features like hacking, character progression, or items. Updates containing those features, and more missions, will be periodically updated into the game every 4-6 weeks.
In the above video, Cliffhanger Productions managing director Jan Wagner says they want the community's help in making sure the core gameplay of Shadowrun Online is right before adding more features. He also goes into detail as to why Shadowrun Online missed it's original promised release date of 2013, saying the game is a year late because an all new code base had to be made from scratch in order to achieve their vision. If you want some immediate Shadowrun action you can check out the recently released Shadowrun Returns DLC campaign, Dragonfall.
Our Take:
I'm sure backers are excited to be able to play and help improve Shadowrun Online as it enters Early Access. Nonbackers, however, may want to wait for more features or the full release before diving in.