I wouldn't go as far as to say that the alpha would be a year from now. Maybe half that and it's more a realistic example.
They want us to be a part of the development of the game, and they have the majority of the mechanics down due to the previous engine being ready to start on, we'll be getting something to play around with soon.
I believe the 'slated' release date of D:OS:2 is actually winter of 2016, or so they said in the codex/other interviews.
