News Archive - May

Last Updated (Saturday, 31 May 2008 10:01) Written by Elvyra Saturday, 31 May 2008 09:30

Ahhh, so you've just sat through a Harry Potter movie marathon, you've read all the books and you just can't seem to get enough wizardry. Don't be dismayed, there's more where all that came from. What if you could be a wizard too? Would you? Jeepers yeah!

Game developers these days seem to agree on one thing: that there’s untapped online gaming potential in the “tween” market, that 9-14 age range that’s always been considered as the awkward transition from childhood to teen. While big companies like SOE and Cartoon Network are working to release their own tween-centric MMOs in the fall (Free Realms and Fusion Fall, respectively) , a small Texas-based company called KingsIsle Entertainment Inc. is poised to unveil Wizard 101 this summer. The company was founded in 2005 by game industry veterans but has been cloaked in secrecy until April of this year, when they announced that they were working on two titles, one of which turned out to be Wizard 101. The other title is still undisclosed.

So, here's what we know. Wizard 101 is an MMO that opens with the player being an apprentice at the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts.  There you get to learn how to control your magic so that you can use it to save Wizard City from the forces of evil.....sound familiar? Well, you'll get to test this out soon; the Wizard 101 website was recently launched, and they are currently accepting beta test applications. So put your pointy hat on, summon your familiar, and grab you magic wand because it's looking to be quite an adventure. All Mudbloods welcome!

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