Beta Test Plans for City of Villains Announced

The full press release:

NCsoft, Cryptic Studios Announce Beta Test Plans for City of Villains

Long-time subscribers to popular City of Heroes game to get top priority when beta testing for Villains starts next year

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 28, 2004 NCsoft® Corporation (KSE: 036570.KS), the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games today announced preliminary beta testing plans for the highly anticipated City of Villainsâ„¢ massively multiplayer online computer game. The plan will reward long time players of City of Heroesâ„¢ with beta testing slots for City of Villains, slated for release next year.

Created by Cryptic Studiosâ„¢, City of Villains is the sequel to the hugely successful and critically acclaimed City of Heroes, which launched in April of this year.

The program will give priority to those who have been subscribed to City of Heroes the longest. A percentage of slots will be reserved for City of Heroes’ veterans, players who have subscribed to City of Heroes for at least 12 months. Those players will automatically earn a slot as a Villains beta tester. Players with at least six months of time in City of Heroes will receive the next level of priority consideration for the beta testing program. Higher character level is not necessarily an advantage in the selection process.

(We are announcing the plans today due to the overwhelming amount of requests we’ve received from our subscribers,) said Jack Emmert, lead designer for City of Heroes. (It makes sense for us to offer this incentive to our most dedicated players. Who else would be more capable of assisting us in the beta test than the folks most familiar with the way City of Heroes works?)

Emmert added, (We’ll be announcing more details at a later date, but the bottom line is that the longer you’ve subscribed to the game, the better your chances will be of getting a first-look at City of Villains.)

City of Villains will provide players with a chance to play the (bad guy) in the comic-book inspired world created by Cryptic Studios. Take on the role of super-powered villains and create your own character using thousands of power and costume options. Then battle heroes and become a true menace to society while plotting your way to world domination.

City of Heroes is currently available at major North American computer game retail outlets at an expected retail price of US$39.99, which includes the first month of online game play. After the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of US$14.95. Sixty-day game time cards are available at many North American retailers for an expected retail price of US$29.99. The game is rated Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

Since launching City of Heroes six months ago, NCsoft and Cryptic Studios have published two free expansions to the title and will be launching the third free expansion, A Council of War, in coming months.

NCsoft will soon be announcing details of the new City of Heroes Collectors DVD Edition launching next month at computer game retailers.

More information about City of Heroes is available at http://www.cityofheroes.com.

About NCsoft North America

NCsoft – North America (NC-NA) is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NC-NA, with development and administrative offices in Texas and California, launched two ground-breaking titles in the first half of 2004, Lineage® II and City of Heroes. The company also works with NCsoft subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. More information about NCsoft North America can be found at http://www.PlayNC.com.

About Cryptic Studios

Cryptic Studios, Inc., located in Los Gatos, California, was established in July of 2000 and is an independent developer of massively multiplayer online games for the PC and next generation consoles. Its first game, City of Heroes, launched in April 2004. The game takes place in a virtual world where thousands of people play simultaneously, take on the role of super-powered heroes, fight villains and help create a dynamic story in a visually-stunning, 3-D graphical world.