Guild Wars: Nightfall Event Press Release

The recent Guild Wars: Nightfall World Preview Event generated the following <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/press/releases/pressrelease-2006-10-05.php" target="_blank">press release</a> on its success:<blockquote><em><b>Guild Wars Nightfall Debuts to Mass Acclaim and Record-Breaking Numbers in Weekend Global Event<br><br>Nearly 500,000 Fans Played more than Four Million Hours in Landmark Gaming Event!</b><br><br>October 5, 2006 (BELLEVUE, WA) a  With the October 27, 2006 release of Guild WarsA NightfallTM drawing close, nearly half a million players around the world got their first taste of one of the year's most-anticipated games in last weekend's World Preview Event. Players spent an average of 8.5 hours each over the course of the weekend, announced ArenaNetA, developer of the award-winning Guild Wars franchise, amassing more than four million total hours of game play. This weekend's numbers shattered the previous attendance record of three million hours set during the Guild Wars FactionsTM preview event earlier this year, as fans immersed themselves in the new Guild Wars Nightfall continent of Elona, sampling the game's new features, mechanics, and missions.<br><br>"We knew we had struck a chord with our players as soon as the Nightfall World Preview Event got underway," said Mike O'Brien, co-founder of ArenaNet. "Their response has been amazingly positive to everything in the game; especially the Heroes." Heroes are a new feature of Guild Wars Nightfall. They are non-player characters integral to the storyline that players can customize and control throughout the game. "Heroes gain experience, follow player direction in battle, and can be equipped with skills, weapons, and even secondary professions of the player's choice, said O'Brien. "They are a wildly popular component to this game that we've spent significant time developing, and we're thrilled our fans have responded to it the way they have."<br><br>Guild Wars, an instant bestseller in North America and Europe upon its release in April 2005, and Guild Wars Factions, the number one game in both North America and Europe earlier this year, are global online roleplaying games. In Guild Wars Nightfall you'll explore opulent cities, brave savage coasts, delve deep into ancient monuments, and find your way across poisonous deserts as you determine the fate of the new realm of Elona. The Guild Wars Nightfall Prerelease Bonus Pack is available in retail stores worldwide now. The Guild Wars Nightfall Standard Edition and Guild Wars Nightfall Collector's Edition will be released worldwide on October 27, 2006.</em></blockquote>