Port Royale 3 announced for 2012

Just when you thought your booty safe, publisher Kalypso Media has announced a new installment in the Port Royale pirate 'em up series. Port Royale 3 is headed to PC and unspecified "next generation consoles" between April and June next year.

The series, created by Ascaron Entertainment, has been on hiatus since 2004's Port Royale 2. This time around, Kalypso's own Gaming Minds Studios is behind the ship's wheel.

The 17th Century Caribbean economic sim combines the joys of establishing trade routes and building cities with naughty raiding and plundering. While the single-player campaign has a straight split between the mercantile and misbehavior, Port Royale 3's free-play mode will let you spin your moral compass as you please. "Naval battles, coastal city sieges, raids and plunder" are promised. In addition, Port Royale 3 will also pack "robust" multiplayer modes, in which, Kalypso says, "players can go head-to-head using commercial, economic and conquest simulations to allow for fast-paced gameplay."

Port Royale 3 is headed to PC and unspecified "next generation consoles" in the second quarter of 2012. An Xbox 360 release looks highly likely, at the minimum, as it's the only console Kalypso's recent multiplatform releases have hit.

And another screen for the lily-livered landlubbers amongst ye