Guild Wars

Guild Wars to Launch April 28

in North America and Europe

Preorder customers to be offered early access to the game

Bellevue, WASH., February 14, 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 will be available at retail in North America and Europe on April 28, 2005. Players who preorder Guild Wars will be able to use their preorder access codes to start playing the full game on April 27, 2005.

According to EB Games, Guild Wars is one of the best-selling preorder PC games year-to-date in North America. More than 500,000 players have participated in public preview events in the US and Europe. In Korea, Guild Wars was named the number one most anticipated game of 2005 by The Electronic Times.

ArenaNet has created a unique, global game world that invites players from around the world to play together seamlessly. There are no sharded servers, no language-specific versions of the game and nothing to keep players from exploring the game world with friends from other countries.

"Guild Wars has been a global game since we wrote the first line of code four years ago," Patrick Wyatt, ArenaNet co-founder said. "When Guild Wars launches in April players around the world will be able to experience the game together."

Players who preorder Guild Wars also have access to exclusive monthly Beta Weekend Events that feature first looks at new gameplay elements, technological advancements and environments to explore. The schedule for the final three Beta Weekend Events follows:

February 18-20, 2005

March 18-20, 2005

April 15-17, 2005

The February Beta Weekend Event, which will begin at approximately 12:01 AM PST on February 18, will invite players to explore the Kingdom of Ascalon before The Searing. The February Beta Weekend Event allows players to experience the beauty and grandeur of Ascalon before the Charr decimated it. Players can gain access to the February event by buying the preorder package or by winning an access code in a contest hosted by a select fansite or game website. A list of participating sites can be found at www.guildwars.com.

The March and April Beta Weekend Events will be held exclusively for players who preorder Guild Wars. No contests or promotions will offer access codes after the February 18-20 Beta Weekend Event. Details of the new elements to be shown in the March and April events will be announced later.

Players in Europe will soon be able to preorder the game and participate in the Beta Weekend Events. Details on the European preorder program will be announced in coming weeks.

Guild Wars is a competitive online roleplaying game that rewards player skill. Players explore a rich fantasy game world, acquire skills, build personalized characters and compete in head-to-head guild battles with friends around the world. It is the first title from ArenaNet, which was founded by key members of the creative teams behind the hit games Warcraft®, StarCraft® and Diablo®, and the creators of Battle.net®.

More information about Guild Wars and the upcoming Beta Weekend Events can be found at www.guildwars.com.

About ArenaNet

ArenaNet, located in Bellevue, Washington, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCsoft and was founded by 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 Corporation

Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, NCsoft Corporation is the world's leading developer and publisher of online games. Founded in 1997, NCsoft is home to Lineage®, the world's most successful online role playing game. NCsoft has joint venture offices located in Japan, Taiwan, and China, as well as branches in North America and the United Kingdom. In fiscal year 2003, NCsoft posted revenues of KRW (Korean Won) 166.5 billion or approximately US$143 million. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.ncsoft.net.

Source:

Press Release

YOUR SKILL WILL BE YOUR LEGEND

You'll prove your worth with every battle as skill, not hours played, decides your fate.

Whether battling horrific monsters or competing at the highest levels of tournament play, it will always be your skill that earns your victory or defeat.

ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE?

Source:

Back of Box - Windows CD-ROM (UK)

In einer von Konflikten geschüttelten Welt... in der alle Königreiche der Menschen zerstört wurden... in der Gilden alles geben würden, um die Vorherrschaft über die Halle der Helden zu übernehmen...

Wird sich ein Champion aus den Ruinen eines einstmals stolzen Reiches erheben und sein Volk aus den Trümmern führen, um eine uralte Prophezeiung zu erfüllen. Sind Sie dieser Held?

Guild Wars® ist ein kompetitives Online-Rollenspiel, das die Fertigkeiten des Spielers belohnt. Es ist der erste Titel von ArenaNet, einem Entwicklerteam, das von zahlreichen Veteranen der Videospiele-Industrie gegründet wurde.

Kurzinfo

• Der einmalige Erwerb einer Box oder eines Online-Codes ist alles, was Sie brauchen... dann können Sie kostenlos online spielen!
• Erfreuen Sie sich an rasanten Abenteuern ohne Reiseverzögerungen, hohe Sterbemalusse oder Spawn Camping.
• Spielen Sie alleine oder mit Freunden, um als Team in weltweiten Turnieren aufzusteigen und die Halle der Helden zu kontrollieren.
• Das Spiel wurde gleichzeitig auf drei Kontinenten in sechs Sprachen veröffentlicht - weitere Sprachen sind in Vorbereitung.
• Das erste "Kapitel" in einem geplanten Guild Wars-Universum, in dem alle Titel in beliebiger Reihenfolge miteinander kombiniert werden können.

Weitere Informationen finden Sie unter de.guildwars.com

"NCsoft zeigt, wie man Teamgeist, Taktik und Spielspaß vereint" - PC Powerplay

Source:

NCsoft "Play and See" Product Catalog 2006 (German)

Guild Wars Announced 22 April 2003

We're very excited to announce ArenaNet's first title. In today's press release, NCsoft and ArenaNet collaboratively announced Guild Wars, an online role-playing game that we hope will define a new high-water mark for Internet play. The game is designed from the ground up to offer balanced competitive play in addition to cooperative adventuring. It's built on ArenaNet's unique streaming technology, which allows players to enjoy all the latest game features. And all this without taking a chunk out of your wallet every month like many existing Internet games.

Our goal from the beginning was to create a game that rewards gamers for their skill rather than just for the number of hours they spent playing. At the same time, we wanted to enable balanced long-term competitive play, and avoid many of the problems found in other role-playing games, including the endless traveling, the loot stealing, the spawn camping, and the boring "line up and take a number" process often required to get a quest reward. We've done some of that by giving each party its own copy of the mission. You can meet up with friends in an Outpost and then head off to your own instance of the world, assuring an exciting quest and a fair division of the spoils.

Guild Wars takes place in a fantasy world, where guilds of characters of a wide range of professions can make a mark on history. The reason we chose the fantasy realm is that we wanted a place that was instantly familiar to gamers, and also one that offers us near-limitless opportunities for new and exciting types of friends and foes. Like the evolving worlds of Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo that we helped to build over thwe years, we're creating a new place that we believe you’ll want to visit over and over.

As far as gameplay, if you like a solo game, you’ll find quests intended just for you. If you’re more of a small-team player, or the kind who likes to join up with a casual group on the fly, you can do so in Guild Wars. And if you favor the idea of the massive quests and long-term challenges – conquering the world, planting your guild flag on the castle – you have those opportunities as well. And, because your character is persistent, and because we're not breaking the world into shards, servers, or realms, you can play from anywhere in the world, with anyone in the world!

Another concern of today's gamers is cheating. Nothing spoils a game more than a ruined economy brought about by a cheesy exploit. Guild Wars has been designed to avoid this problem. Using technological advances that stream content right onto your computer, you'll have the newest version of Guild Wars every single time you log on. This, in turn, allows quick resolution of exploits and cheats while giving us a chance to provide regular updates, like adding in seasonal elements or giving tournament winners special status in the game – a crown, a banner, a trophy.

In many online games, you're forced to deal with player killers whether you want to or not. In Guild Wars, the way you play will be your choice alone. If you wish to engage in cooperative quests and fight against the world's monsters and the elements of nature it will be up to you. If you want to engage in a one-on-one duel, or hook up for a team-versus team game, you can make that choice too. Backstabbing won't leave you with a dead character and a stripped corpse.

As gamers ourselves, we wanted to make a great game that had real replayability and real immersiveness while not charging people a fee. So, Guild Wars will have no monthly fees in North America, and will offer a variety of pricing options for gamers in other parts of the world.

The guys who started the Guild Wars team have built excellent reputations in the games industry. Patrick Wyatt, Mike O'Brien, and Jeff Strain, while with Blizzard Entertainment, collectively racked up more than 17 years as key figures behind such blockbuster series as Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo, not to mention one of the world's most successful gaming networks: Battle.net. They've assembled a cadre of other passionate game developers, and collectively they're working to create a game that you'll play every chance you get.

Read today's press release for information on Guild Wars, and be sure to check out our Gallery for cool images, and our FAQ for some questions and answers about the game. Plus, look for us at E3, where all of the NCsoft family will be featured at a major booth in the main hall. And in the coming months, we look forward to telling you more about Guild Wars!

Source:

www.guildwars.com

NCSOFT UNVEILS ARENANET’S HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED COMPETITIVE ROLE PLAYING GAME, GUILD WARS

From the key developers behind Blizzard’s mega successes, Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo, Guild Wars will make its debut at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo

SEOUL, South Korea/SEATTLE, WA, April 22, 2003 -- NCsoft, the world's top developer of online computer games is pleased to announce Guild Wars™, a mission-based competitive online role playing game, produced by its Seattle-based ArenaNet studio. Guild Wars will have its first major public showing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), May 14-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

In the fantasy world of Guild Wars, players can engage in cooperative group combat, in single player adventures, or in large head-to-head guild battles. Guild Wars is a game that will constantly evolve, using streaming technology to provide players with the latest updates while they’re online. In addition, gamers will be able to play Guild Wars without a monthly fee in North America. NCsoft will announce a variety of pricing options for gamers in other parts of the world in the near future.

"We're excited to unveil Guild Wars," said Patrick Wyatt, the original producer and lead programmer for the Warcraft series. "We believe that players are going to enjoy experiencing a game that offers technological advances that fundamentally improve the online role-playing experience, and the introduction of a groundbreaking business model for the genre."

ArenaNet was founded by key members of the creative teams behind the hit game series Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo, as well as Battle.net, one of the most successful gaming networks in the world.

The game is mission-based, and while each combat experience will be different, achievements will be permanent, so that each character grows and progresses over time. Unique items, special abilities, and a wide variety of skills will add meaningful value for the players. Missions are not scripted adventures, but are tactical battlegrounds where victory or loss is determined by skill and teamwork.

Mike O'Brien, the creator and architect of Battle.net, points out "Our vision has been to create a game that rewards skill and inventiveness rather than hundreds of hours of play, so we've built Guild Wars from the ground up to be a balanced environment where players of all skill levels can compete for recognition and prizes."

Key Game Features * Join in cooperative quests or unite in head-to-head guild battles. * Develop a unique character who can explore multiple professions and choose from hundreds of unique skills. * Enjoy fully-integrated support for guilds, including worldwide tournaments and ladders, guildhalls, special character identification and forums directly built into the game. * Experience a changing world, where the entire landscape can be altered as you explore and conquer. * Play in a secure server-hosted game environment that prevents cheating; ArenaNet's technology allows quick and seamless resolution of exploits.

Guild Wars is expected to launch in the 2nd Half of 2004. Many additional details about Guild Wars may be found at the game site: www.guildwars.com.

About NCsoft

Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, NCsoft is the world's largest independent online game company. Established in 1997, NCsoft has become the world's leading online game software company. In Asia, its blockbuster hit game Lineage hosts more than three million subscribers and more than three hundred thousand concurrent users. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.ncsoft.net.

About ArenaNet

ArenaNet, located in Seattle, Washington, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NCsoft and was founded by key members of the creative teams that developed the hit game series Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo, as well as Battle.net, one of the most-successful gaming networks in the world. ArenaNet is building a state-of-the-art, interactive game network and developing premier multiplayer online games for dedicated game players. More information about ArenaNet can be found at www.arena.net.

Source:

Press release

Guild Wars is Live! 28 April 2005

We are pleased to announce that Guild Wars has opened in North America and Europe. In the five years of development, we have seen the advent of a new company, the forging of a new international bond, and the launch of one of the most popular preorder programs of all time. Tonight, we invite you to come and experience Guild Wars for yourself.

The revolution is here.

Source:

www.guildwars.com