
The second major beta version was released on 7 February 2008, adding three additional classes. Subsequent updates adjusted gameplay and balance, as well as adding additional maps. Development on the game began immediately after the release of the SDK, and the first public beta version was released on 1 January 2007, consisting of three of the game's intended classes. The development of Pirates, Vikings and Knights II was conducted by a small team of developers, who produced the game's range of programming, art, modelling, texturing and sound. Pirates, Vikings and Knights II was developed as a total conversion modification for the Source engine, and is a sequel to Pirates, Vikings and Knights, a total conversion modification of Half-Life. The SDK allows for the game to be modified in various ways, from model and texture changes, the creation of new maps to the creation of an entirely different game based on the coding framework of Half-Life 2, known as total conversion modifications.

Soon after the release of Half-Life 2, the Valve Corporation released a software development kit (SDK) for the game's Source engine. The Berserker model being shown on March 2005
