Guild Wars Launches Simultaneously in Europe, North America and Australia
Highly Anticipated Online Roleplaying Game on Retail Shelves Today
Thursday 28 April 2005/... ArenaNet®, creators of the highly anticipated online roleplaying game Guild Wars®, and NCsoft® Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced that Guild Wars is available at retail in Europe, North America and Australia.
Guild Wars is the ultimate global online RPG, a transporting experience that transcends the boundaries of geography, technology and language. Play with anyone, anywhere, at any time and there's no subscription fee required. Guild Wars immerses players in a colorful, robust and detailed online fantasy world where success is determined by player skill, not by the time spent playing.
"By bringing together the best elements of action, roleplaying and massively multiplayer games we have created a unique gameplay experience that appeals to casual and core players alike," Mike O'Brien, ArenaNet co-founder said. "Players throughout Europe, North America and Australia will now be able to compete in the Guild Wars world together."
Players must select eight of the more than 450 available skills to build competitive characters for each battle. Challenging gameplay forces players to use their heads and make good decisions in a brains-over-brawn battlefield. Dramatic guild challenges, tournament play and arena combat provide a unique game experience each time players log on.
Retailers across Europe and North America are anticipating impressive sales as Guild Wars enters the PC game marketplace. According to EB GamesTM, Guild Wars is one of the best-selling preorder PC games year-to-date in North America and European retailers are reporting equally impressive results.
More than 500,000 players participated in public preview events in the US and Europe. Those events culminated in an impressive showing at yesterday's exclusive preview event, which granted players who preordered the game access to the Guild Wars world a full day before the official launch.
Guild Wars is now available across Europe at £29.99 / 44.99. The special Collector's Edition featuring an art book, Internet chat headset and Guild Wars soundtrack CD is also available at £49.99 / 69.99. There is no monthly subscription fee.
About ArenaNet
ArenaNet, located in Bellevue, Washington, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCsoft and was founded by some of the key members of the creative teams that developed the hit game series StarCraft, Warcraft, and Diablo as well as Battle.net. ArenaNet has built a state-of-the-art, interactive game network and is developing premier multiplayer online games for dedicated game players. More information about ArenaNet can be found at www.arena.net.
About NCsoft Europe
NCsoft Europe (NC-E) is headquartered in Brighton, England and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online games. NCsoft has already successfully established itself in North America, Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand. NC-E began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. NC-E launched Lineage® II in November 2004, City of HeroesTM on 4th February 2005 and Guild Wars® is scheduled for 28th April 2005. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://www.plaync.com.
NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Guild Wars, ArenaNet, Lineage, PlayNC, PlayNC.com and all associated NCsoft logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.