Egosoft announces that X3: Reunion is gold (thanks Frans), and that preorders are now being accepted for the latest installment in Egosoft's space shooter series, which is due for release in the U.K. on October 28:

Egosoft is today pleased to announce that X3: Reunion, the latest in the exciting space simulation series of X-Universe games has “gone Gold” with release dates to be shortly confirmed by regional publishers. The UK anticipated release date is expected to be confirmed by Deepsilver as 28 October 2005. The German version will follow very soon after.

Speaking from the Egosoft HQ in Würselen, Germany CEO Bernd Lehahn confirmed “X3 marks a genuine and dramatic milestone in our game development. Close on 2 years of hard work have brought us to the point where we are ready to take the space genre onto a whole new level and directly into the mainstream of gaming, and to keep it fresh into the future.”

Egosoft would like to thank our staff, publishers and all the fans who have helped bring us this far, and will continue with us for the future.

As a result of the news we have all been waiting so long for, you can now pre-order X3: Reunion direct from the Egosoft shop. English versions will be available first, and as a bonus will be shipping with a free copy of Helge Kautz's Farnham's Legend.