There are a massive amount of games coming out in 2013, more than we could include in all of our "Lists" of what we're personally looking forward to this year.  But that doesn't mean we're not going to shine the light on each game that's due to hit in the next twelve months.  With that in mind, we reached out to every developer releasing an MMO in 2013, to answer a few questions and let us know what the year has in store for each of them.  As we receive the answers, we're shining the spotlight on each game.  Today it’s all about the sandbox New England-set indie title of awesomeness: Salem. We caught up with the folks at Paradox Interactive to get a brief update on what 2013 has in store for the game.

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Salem, for those who don’t know puts players into a world inspired by the Quaker-living New England and Massachusetts.  With a highly stylized aesthetic and a strong focus on crafting and community driven survival, Salem is the kind of game that some would call niche.  We prefer the term: unique.  The world of Salem is up to you to make something of it, and the actions are permanent, including death.

MMORPG: What does 2013 have in store for your game?

Paradox: You mean, besides the retail release this year?! Salem will be heading into Open Beta soon, and we're eager to see how the public perceives it.

MMORPG: How do you think your game will stand out from the crowd of this year's releases?

Paradox: Salem is definitely not a traditional MMO, with humongous raids and flashy bosses across stunning landscapes, it is more of an experimental sandbox where players forge a community and live by whichever rules they create. Sure, we have some fantastical creatures in there, but the setting of colonial Boston grounds the game in a bit of history yet mixes it with some darker lore inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and various American folk tales. Oh yeah, and there's permadeath.

MMORPG: What's the number one thing you want our readers to know about your game going into launch?

Paradox: Salem will be what people make of it, and will be guided by whatever social guidelines players create and enact on their own. The game features permadeath, which may seem like a puzzling design decision to some, but it greatly strengthens the will to stay alive and makes for an experience not available in most other MMOs.

• Read Som's preview
• Adam's got a hands on preview