Guild Wars Nightfall Debuted To Mass Acclaim and Record-Breaking Numbers in Global Event Last Weekend
Nearly 500,000 Fans Played more than Four Million Hours in Landmark Gaming Event
Thursday 5th October/...With the October 27, 2006 release of Guild Wars® Nightfall drawing close, nearly half a million players around the world got their first taste of one of the year's most-anticipated games in last weekend's World Preview Event. Players spent an average of 8.5 hours each over the course of the weekend, announced ArenaNet®, developer of the award-winning Guild Wars franchise, amassing more than four million total hours of game play. This weekend's numbers shattered the previous attendance record of three million hours set during the Guild Wars Factions preview event earlier this year, as fans immersed themselves in the new Guild Wars Nightfall continent of Elona, sampling the game's new features, mechanics, and missions.
"We knew we had struck a chord with our players as soon as the Nightfall World Preview Event got underway," said Mike O'Brien, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Their response has been amazingly positive to everything in the game; especially the Heroes." Heroes are a new feature of Guild Wars Nightfall. They are non-player characters integral to the storyline that players can customize and control throughout the game. "Heroes gain experience, follow player direction in battle, and can be equipped with skills, weapons, and even secondary professions of the player's choice, said O'Brien. "They are a wildly popular component to this game that we've spent significant time developing, and we're thrilled our fans have responded to it the way they have."
Guild Wars, an instant bestseller in North America and Europe upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online role playing games. In Guild Wars Nightfall you'll explore opulent cities, brave savage coasts, delve deep into ancient monuments, and find your way across poisonous deserts as you determine the fate of the new Realm of Elona. The Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack is available in retail stores worldwide now, and the Guild Wars Nightfall Standard Edition and Guild Wars Nightfall Collector's Edition will be released worldwide on 27th October, 2006.
About ArenaNet
ArenaNet, located in Bellevue, Washington, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NCsoft Corporation. ArenaNet has built a state-of-the-art interactive game network and develops premier multiplayer online games for dedicated game players. ArenaNet's titles, Guild Wars and Guild Wars Factions, are global online roleplaying games that allow gamers to play with anyone, anytime, and anywhere in the world. 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 currently services Auto Assault®, Lineage® II, City of Heroes®, City of Villains, Guild Wars® and Guild Wars Factions in Europe. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://www.plaync.com.
NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Nightfall, ArenaNet, Lineage, Auto Assault and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes, City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cryptic Studios, Inc. and NCsoft Corporation. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.