NCsoft’s Guild Wars Breaks Four Million
Subscription-free business model sets new standard for online multiplayer games
Brighton, England, August 21st, 2007— The Guild Wars® franchise of online role-playing games has broken the four million units sold mark in just over two years. Published by NCsoft® and developed by ArenaNet®, the Guild Wars series (consisting of Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions™, and Guild Wars Nightfall™) has set the standard for online co-operative and competitive play with award-winning content and a subscription-free business model. Since the first campaign launched in 2005, Guild Wars has developed legions of loyal fans who are hotly anticipating the August 31st release of the game’s first true expansion, Guild Wars: Eye of the North™.
“The Guild Wars phenomenon has never lost momentum since its launch in 2005. Players continue to join and stay loyal to the franchise, thanks to a unique business model that revolutionised online roleplay gaming,” said Geoff Heath, CEO, NCsoft Europe. “ArenaNet’s hard work and dedication has helped to make NCsoft the leading online gaming publisher in the world. We are all excited about the future of Guild Wars, with the expansion ready to be released and Guild Wars® 2 on the horizon.”
“The Guild Wars brand has been extremely popular with GAME customers; since the first release in 2005 the titles have gone from strength to strength. No doubt the originality of the proposition has been key to its ongoing success,” commented Lisa Morgan, Chief Executive, GAME Group Plc. “With the forthcoming new release of Guild Wars: Eye of the North, I am certain the brand will reach new heights.”
“ArenaNet is delighted by the continued success Guild Wars has enjoyed across Europe and around the world. Our European players are exceptionally dedicated to the game, and they are at the heart of this exciting milestone,” said Jeff Strain, co-founder, ArenaNet. “The response to the Guild Wars World Championships held at the Leipzig Games Convention last year was nothing short of spectacular, and we look forward to generating even more excitement within our community this year with the launch of Guild Wars: Eye of the North.”
In advance of the release of Guild Wars: Eye of the North, ArenaNet is hosting the Sneak Peek Weekend from August 24th to August 26th, during which players can explore the frigid climes and encounter the wild beasts of the Far Shiverpeaks region. To participate in the preview weekend, players must preorder Guild Wars: Eye of the North, available at retailers across Europe, in the Guild Wars in-game store, as well as http://eu.plaync.com/eu/ .
Any loot, items, XP, and Heroes earned by players during the Sneak Peek Weekend will be available when Guild Wars: Eye of the North goes live on August 31. Additional information about the Guild Wars: Eye of the North Sneak Peek Weekend can be found at http://eu.guildwars.com/support/article/gwen_spw/.
Guild Wars: Eye of the North is the first expansion to the subscription-free Guild Wars franchise of fantasy online role-playing games. It features new characters, Heroes, items, and story content accessible to players who own any existing Guild Wars campaign.
For more information on the Guild Wars franchise, visit the Guild Wars website at http://www.discoverguildwars.com. The award-winning Guild Wars series of games, as well as the Guild Wars: Eye of the North Prerelease Bonus Pack, can be purchased from retailers or downloaded from the PlayNC store at https://secure.plaync.com/cgi-bin/Store.pl?language=en-gb.
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, Guild Wars Factions, and Guild Wars Nightfall 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 http://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 Heroes® on 4th February 2005, Guild Wars on 28th April 2005, City of Villains™ on 31st October 2005, Guild Wars Factions on 28th April 2006 and Guild Wars Nightfall on 27th October 2006. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://eu.plaync.com.
NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Prophecies, Factions, Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, Eye of the North, Guild Wars 2, ArenaNet and Lineage 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.
