Guild Wars Available For Play During E3

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“E3 for Everyone!”

NCsoft and ArenaNet announce that the Guild Wars E3 show experience will be open to all; gamers will be able to play online from home or from the show floor

SEATTLE, WA, April 19, 2004 – ArenaNetâ„¢, founded by the developers who helped create StarCraft®, Warcraftâ„¢, Diablo® and Battle.netâ„¢, and NCsoft®, the world’s top developer and publisher of online computer games, are pleased to invite gamers worldwide to join the Guild Warsâ„¢ E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) show floor experience. From May 12 through 14, while Guild Wars is being demonstrated on the E3 show floor, players from around the world will be able to join in the fun and play the game in real-time over the Internet.

This is a unique opportunity for gamers to play a sneak preview of Guild Wars months before it is released. Guild Wars is currently in the alpha development stage and typically gamers must wait until a game enters closed beta testing before a select number of people are allowed to play it. E3 for Everyone will also be the first time for many gamers to experience an E3 event, as this premier U.S. trade show is not open to the general public. While many games provide a controlled demonstration of gameplay on the E3 show floor, it is very rare for the public to have access to this game play experience in an open forum.

This one-time-only Guild Wars E3 experience will include solo player quests, cooperative missions that introduce the Guild Wars story, a competitive arena for multiplayer combat, and a competitive worldwide tournament that will run continuously, offering multiple levels and a variety of game types.

Distribution of the Guild Wars E3 client will begin in late April via magazine CD. At the beginning of May the client will be available via online download. Industry partnerships assisting with distribution of the E3 client include the gaming press, online gaming sites, and online retailers. The game’s official website, www.guildwars.com, will offer additional download access. Once the client is available, ArenaNet encourages gamers to share the 64k zipped gaming client with their friends via e-mail.

“We feel very strongly that E3 is an exciting event for all gamers as the industry puts its very best games on display. We are very proud to go one step further and to open our E3 experience not just for those fortunate enough to attend the show, but to gamers world wide,” stated Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet. “Because Guild Wars is a social game, we also wanted to enable gamers to play with their friends. We thought the best way to make this happen was simply to allow gamers to invite each other by emailing the client.”

Guild Wars Key Features

– Victory earned with skill, not hours played: Whether battling against monsters to fulfill a quest, or working with guild mates to reach the highest levels of tournament play, Guild Wars rewards players more for gaming skills than for the number of hours played.

– FREE online play that is safe and secure: Enjoy your playing time, don’t pay for it. Unlike other online role-playing games, Guild Wars charges no monthly fee to play on its secure Internet servers.

– It’s about always having fun: With personally spawned missions for all adventures, Guild Wars focuses on what’s fun in a role-playing game: constant action fighting monsters, playing with and against other players, and finding that next great item. Personal missions also remove the tedium usually associated with massively multiplayer games like excessive travel time, play-limiting death penalties, and spawn camping.

Guild Wars is expected to launch in the 2nd Half of 2004. Additional information about Guild Wars and the E3 event can be found at: www.guildwars.com.

Minimum System Requirements for the Guild Wars E3 Experience

– Windows 98/ME/2000 XP
– 800 MHz Pentium 3 or equivalent
– 256 MB RAM
– GeForce 2 class video card with 32MB RAM
– 250 MB hard drive space
– Internet connection
– About NCsoft Corporation

Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, NCsoft Corp. 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. 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.

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 StarCraft, Warcraft, 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.