Quoted from mail.

Hello NS(2)Players!

This has been a big week for us.

We set the date for the NS2 Alpha for Monday, July 26th (11 days). If you've pre-ordered the Special Edition already, THANK YOU. Otherwise, if you want to be playing on Day 1, you'll need to order it before then:

http://www.naturalselection2.com/buy

NOTE: After July 26th, we are discontinuing the Special Edition and black marine armor and will be increasing the price on the Standard Edition. We want to make sure our early adopters retain this distinction.

We also released some new screenshots and information about what to expect in the alpha:

http://www.unknownworlds.com/ns2/news/2010/7/ns2_alpha_date_set

Some of you played NS on Halloween night of 2002 and can remember how many changes the game went through in the weeks following. Day 1 of the NS2 Alpha will probably be a wild ride as well and we're looking forward to getting your feedback and improving it quickly. NS had over 20 versions over many years and we expect to support NS2 for years as well.

As many of you know, we've been working hard for many years to get to this point and we hope you join us. We wouldn't be here without your support - nor would we want to be.