It's been 2 ½ years since Horizons: Empire of Istaria first shipped, 1 ½ years since developer Artifact Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 reorganization and 16 months since Tulga Games reached an agreement to purchase Artifact's assets.

Despite Horizons' near-death experience, when former Artifact president and current Tulga Games CEO David Bowman was spotted at E3, he was smiling. And for good reason.

“We're finally ready to launch,” Bowman said.

That's right, he said “ready to to launch.” An odd statement from the head of a company with a two-year-old game, but one that makes sense after a closer look at its history.