Path of Exile's open beta dated

Grinding Gear have announced the date for the open beta of their free-to-play Diablo-ish ARPG-cum-MMO, Path of Exile . While the developers had originally targeted a December 2012 date - and actually believe they can have the game ready this month - they've decided to delay until after the new year, when staff will be back from their Christmas break.

You should now be able to get your hands on the game on January 23rd, 2013.

"We want the first few months of Open Beta to set the precedent that we react quickly to feedback on the game and add features/content that players want," writes Path of Exile's lead designer Chris Wilson on the game's forum . "We do not want everyone's first experience with the game to be that nothing changes for a month. If any unexpected problems arose or the game became very popular in December, the support team wouldn't be at full strength to service the needs of all players."

Path of Exile is an online RPG that touts a "barter-based" economy, PvP, ladder races and character customisation as its design focus. The game has been in closed beta, available to purchasers of a $10 early access pack, since August 2011.

Thanks, Massively .

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.