Paradox Interactive has closed the recruiting process for Beta Testers to play Hearts of Iron III, the long awaited third instalment of the World War II Strategy series set for release towards the end of 2009.

The Paradox team want to express their gratitude for the long time fans that is supporting and offering their help for the development of Hearts of Iron 3:

“We at Paradox were stunned by the response we got for the Beta testing, with over 10,000 people registering an interest in contributing. It made it one of the hardest selection process for Betas we have ever had, as there were just so many well qualified candidates to chose from. “ says Johan Andersson, Lead Developer on Hearts of Iron III.

Hearts of Iron III has now in the Beta stage of development. These last months has seen the team stabilizing the foundations of the AI, tightening up the rules and mechanics of the game, along with implementing brand new artwork and interface features.

With the Beta crew now in place the testing has already started and Hearts of Iron III is scheduled for release during the latter half of 2009.

“We have a keen an enthusiastic beta team in place who are already working hard to do their bit to make Hearts of Iron 3 the best game it can be.” Says Chris King, game designer for Hearts of Iron 3.

  (Hearts of Iron 3 game presentation from January 2009 in Stockholm.)

The third installment in the critically acclaimed World War II strategy series, Hearts of Iron III will feature a plethora of brand new features to satisfy veteran and novice players alike, including a huge game map with more than 14,000 land and sea provinces.

At GDC, Johan Andersson, the Producer, will be on hand to demonstrate every aspect of the game.  Hearts of Iron III is scheduled for release in Q3.