Guild Wars Preview a Success Product: Guild Wars The results are in and they show that hundreds of thousands of people played Guild Wars during ArenaNet and NCsoft?s free World Preview Event. More than 400,000 people representing more than 140 countries participated in the event, which took place October 28 through 31. ?The World Preview Event was a great opportunity for people to try out Guild Wars,? said Jeff Strain, Guild Wars producer and ArenaNet co-founder. ?We were pleased that so many took advantage of this unique opportunity. If Guild Wars was available for purchase, last weekend?s subscriber numbers would have ranked the game as one of the top three online role playing games operating in North America.? ArenaNet is rolling out another chance to play the game during the first of several Beta Weekend Events. These exclusive events will take place on the first weekend of each month, and will be open only to players who purchase the Guild Wars preorder box or obtain access to single events through ArenaNet?s programs with leading game magazines and websites, iGames game centers, or select retailers. In addition, the December issue of ?Computer Games Magazine? features a cover story on Guild Wars, and an invitation for readers to join a Beta Weekend Event. GameSpot, which features several articles on the Guild Wars professions, will offer its readers an invitation to the November Beta Weekend Event. Each Beta Weekend Event will feature new content and offer exciting new challenges in the Guild Wars world. Purchasing the preorder box for Guild Wars guarantees participation in each exclusive Beta Weekend Event. The preorder boxes are currently available at most computer game retailers in North America. In addition to access into the Beta Weekend Events, the box provides an exclusive in-game item available at launch, a Guild Wars poster, a Guild Wars music CD, and several other items. ArenaNet and NCsoft plan to release Guild Wars at the conclusion of the beta period, which they anticipate will be in early 2005. -Red Dawg, GameVortex Communications AKA Alex Redmann Related Links: More Information on Guild Wars ArenaNet NCsoft Corporation