Guild Wars Released to Retail Today

By Dan Gaul April 28, 2005

ArenaNet has announced that Guild Wars is available at retail in North America, Europe 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 Games, 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 U.S. 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 at most major North American computer game retail outlets at an estimated retail price of US$49.99. No monthly subscription fee is required. A special Collector’s Edition featuring a hard-cover art book, Internet chat headset, Guild Wars soundtrack CD and other items will be available for an estimated retail price of US$79.99. An exclusive strategy guide is available for purchase. The game is rated Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

Chief Technology Officer

Dan Gaul is the co-founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) for Digital Trends Media Group, a Portland, Oregon-based…

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