Back in 2008, dtp entertainment and its RealU development studio announced they were working on an MMO based on Tad Williams' Otherland series of sci-fi novels, which are set in a future where people can fully immerse themselves in an online world. It looks like players will soon get their hands on the game now that gamigo has signed a license agreement to publish the title in North America. In fact, gamigo announced today at Gamescom that the game will launch in 2012 with the closed beta scheduled to begin early next year. You can register for the beta on the Otherland site.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this announcement is the reveal of the first Otherland trailer. RealU has been building the game using the Unreal 3 engine since 2006, and the graphics look quite impressive. Watch the video below for a taste of what this free-to-play game will offer players next year.

Once you've watched the trailer, keep reading after the jump for more details on Otherland.

Are you a fan of Tad Williams' series of "Otherland" novels? If you're not familiar with them, do you enjoy science fiction, the cyberpunk genre or stories involving virtual reality? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may be excited to hear that dtp entertainment and the development studio RealU have announced the MMORPG Otherland, based on Williams' work.

"Otherland," a series of four novels published between 1996 and 2001, is set in a future where people can immerse themselves completely in a virtual, online world. Sounds pretty similar to our current gaming habits, right? That's what makes Williams' story so fitting for an MMORPG.

Williams is incredibly involved in this project, and talks about his excitement at length in his blog . The game will be released in 2010 and is about 15% complete, according to Williams. Keep reading after the jump for more information.