Stardock announces a release date for Sorcerer King, saying fantasy-themed. asymmetrical, 4x strategy game is due on July 16th, though the beta version remains available on Steam through early access. This recent trailer offers a developer stream of gameplay, and the announcement includes the following description of the game:

Stardock, software and video game developer, announced today that its new fantasy turn-based strategy game Sorcerer King will release on July 16th.

In the game you play as the leader of a city-state in a world filled with magic generated by the “shards,” but the self-styled Sorcerer King has begun to destroy the shards and use their magic in a quest to become a god. You must build a kingdom and raise a force powerful enough to stop him while at the same time dealing with rival factions who only care about conquering more land and resources for themselves. Time is limited: the Doomsday Counter keeps track of the Sorcerer King’s progress toward godhood. Can you stop him in time?

You’ll don the mantle of one of six powerful sovereigns; the Wizard, the Commander, the Tyrant, the Guardian, the Priest, or the Tinkerer. You may also create your a custom sovereign to halt the march towards doomsday. A random map generator offers unlimited replayability while story-driven quests provide a rich narrative experience.

City-building, item-crafting, monster battling; all of these familiar tropes are found in Sorcerer King, but there is a twist: you've already lost the world to the Sorcerer King. Now you must take it back before he destroys it.