Ubisoft announces registration is now underway for beta testing of The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom, the next installment in the long-running Settlers series of strategy games. You are being asked to pay for the privilege in this case, as registration requires a paid FilePlanet account (as well as a free Ubi.com account). Word is: "The beta will start January 19th and will offer the tutorial missions of the single-player campaign as well as skirmish maps for multiplayer mode or games against the AI. Registered beta testers will be able to discuss the game with developers in a closed board." The announcement has a feature list for the game.