Loading... Warhammer Online Release Date

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Daily Column

Loading... putting the 'Mo' in MMOG.

First, the Ten Ton Pulse, your finger on the beating heart of the MMOG industry.

If the Top 10 isn't enough, we also show the Top 20 and Top 50 lists as well, available to everyone on our homepage. (What is Pulse?)

World of Warcraft - 200 BPM
Warhammer Online - 194 BPM
Age of Conan - 83 BPM
Tabula Rasa - 22 BPM
EVE Online - 14 BPM
Lord of the Rings Online - 14 BPM
Champions Online - 11 BPM
EverQuest II - 10 BPM
Stargate Worlds - 9 BPM
Vanguard - 8 BPM

Bursting into the Top 10 at number seven is Champions Online, the superhero game being developed by Cryptic Studios.

Blizzard has been pushing hard, delivering more new information about Wrath of the Lich King than we are accustomed to. We are experiencing a teeter-totter or as I call it, the Major Topper effect of having two AAA titles with similar release dates. Mythic makes an announcement about Warhammer Online and in response Blizzard announces a Wrath of the Lich King feature.

Let's start with this... THE WARHAMMER RELEASE DATE!

"Paris, France – August 6th, 2008 – GOA, Orange’s games unit and Mythic Entertainment, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced the release date of 18th September 2008 for the eagerly awaited MMORPG, Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning™ (WAR), as well as confirming retail launch offerings and subscription fees.

Based on Games Workshop’s epic and longstanding tabletop fantasy war game which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features a unique Realm vs. Realm™ (RvR) gameplay that immerses players in a world of perpetual conflict.

“GOA is thrilled at the prospect of opening the doors to the world of Warhammer Online very soon", said Ghislaine Le Rhun, Managing Director of GOA. "As the development of Warhammer Online continued to accelerate, we have been gearing up to support the launch, building a massive server infrastructure, localizing millions of words and recruiting a top notch team of experts in their fields. We look forward to sharing the fun we're having on the battlefields of WAR".

“The countdown has officially begun. Mark your calendars! September 18th is the Day of Reckoning”, said Mark Jacobs, founder and general manager of Mythic Entertainment. “For the last three years, the entire team at Mythic has poured their hearts into making Warhammer Online the next great MMORPG. We are so excited to open up this world and share it with the fans that will live in it, quest in it, go to war in it and make it come alive.”

From launch, subscriptions can be purchased online and within the game:
- 1 month for 12.99€ (£10.31)
- 3 months for 35.97€ (£28.55)
- 6 months for 65.94€ (£52.34)

Alternatively, pre-paid Game Card packs for a 60-day subscription will be available through participating retailers for 29.99€ (£23.81).

From the 28th August, the regular edition of the game can be pre-ordered at 5€ (£3.97), and this special pre-order pack will entitle players to a key for ‘Live Game Head Start’ access ahead of the full commercial release on the 18th September, as well as bonus in-game items.

The regular edition of the game will be priced at 49.99 € (£39.69) RRP with a 30-day subscription included.

Very few copies of the Collector’s Editions are still available for pre-order. Gamers pre-ordering the Collector’s Edition will have access to the Open Beta, as well as the ‘Live Game Head Start’ and bonus in-game items. "

You can read the entire press release here.

There you have it. I was wrong. I was sure that the release was the 23rd of September.

Blizzard announced a new exclusive mount as part of their Recruit-A-Friend program.

"Our new Recruit-A-Friend program has added features that reward you even more for bringing your friends into Azeroth™. Recruit-A-Friend and earn:

* An exclusive ZHEVRA in-game mount* when your friend pays for 60 days of subscription time.
* 30 Days of FREE** WoW gametime when your friend pays for 30 days of subscription time.

Also, from the moment your friend creates a character and starts adventuring with you (including the trial period), both of you will receive these additional in-game benefits:

* You and your friend will earn triple the experience when grouped together.
* For every two levels of experience your friend earns, they can grant one level of experience to any one of your characters of lower level.
* You and your friend will have the ability to summon each other from any point in the world."

You can read the entire press release here.

Our WoW community team, not to be left in the dust of the WAR team delivered in spades,

We haven't seen a MMOG battle this good since the WoW versus EQ II launches in 2004. Will WoW walk away the victor again or will WAR finally put a dent in the behemoth's armour?

News and coverage of these two giants often drowns out coverage of other titles. Never fear, we are on the case. Check out our Video interview With Rich Weil, Community Manager on Fusion Fall and our Jumpgate Evolution: VIP Access Interview!

I know you're thinking something. Share! The Loading Forums await you. Do you feel the need to contact me personally with naughty pictures or derogatory comments? Here's my E-mail.

[A big thanks to Phil Comeau for putting together the links and Real World News.]

9 new MMOG hand-crafted articles today! 33 in August! 1950 in 2008!

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2008