Elemental Forums
The media blitz seems full on with interviews everywhere 
, but I'm curious, why announce the game 1.5 years before release?
Plus, it's only 6 months until the public beta, at which point anyone who's pre-ordered can play it. Need to get people interested in it by the time that date arrives!
Best of all it lets us players get involved with the dvelopment process.
We all rather know now and see what it looks like then to wait in ignorance. Moreover it's a way of doing business with stardock to get their customer input with the making of their games. If they want our input while they can still make major modification now is the time.
The short answer, It is a good marketing strategy for creating demand for your product and improving the buzz factor without promoting the hype element (that comes later).
Diablo III does the same for example, so there may be a reason indeed.
If they did it so early, they may listen to players ideas and wishes. Some of them are bad, but some of them are very good. If you develop something, it is less difficult to add some features, if you plan it from the beginning. At the end of the development process it is often quit difficult or even impossible.
I can say for a fact that Stardock does listen, and a few gripes of mine were implemented in GCII on small details.
You guys will be getting your money's worth in terms of effort and care. Trust me on that.
This. So much this.
I've been doing software development for years, and it something that would take 10 minutes to change at the beginning of a project will take days or weeks near the end.
This doesn't only apply to code, but also to direction. In effect, instead of trying to fix a broken system later, you ensure that it's built it correctly the first time.
I originally found out about this project from a Wiki link to an interview from 2006. So for the folks that heard about it at the time of that interview, there has been a long wait for a Stardock fantasy TBS already.
QFT! 
I seem to recall hearing something about a Starcraft 2...and a Diablo 3 but I can't seem to find them at the store. 
I keep hearing about a new Duke Nukem too. I wonder if they have release it... 
Nah question should be "Why waiting so many years before creating it???"!
To give a comparison, Empire Total War was announced September 07 or there abouts, 18 months before its release next year. Elemental was announced this month, approx 16 months before planned release date (I won't tempt fate by asking how final that date is 
)
As for Starcraft 2, it was announced 18 months ago and will probably be out sometime in the next century if we are being optimistic.
Basically a developer announces what they are working on around this sort of time, maybe release a mini teaser trailer showing the concept and a couple of alpha stage screenshots, and then occasionaly reminds people what the project is about over the next few months before starting proper hype etc when it's nearing completion.
I remember hearing about warcraft Adventures: lord of the clans and starcraft: Ghost. I can't wait until they are released. announced 1.5 years before release... why that would mean that they would have come out... in... uh.... *does math on fingers* that isn't right.
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