Wizardry Online Officially Announced, Again

We've already known that Wizardry Online was in development and headed our way next year, but now we have an official press release straight from Gamepot that lays out further details.
Gamepot Brings Back the Magic with Wizardry Online

Japanese MMO Publisher Delivers Next Iteration of Popular Wizardry Series to Gamers Worldwide

Los Angeles June 13, 2011 Leading Japanese massively multiplayer online (MMO) game publisher Gamepot Inc. is bringing Wizardry Online to gamers around the world. Currently the Japanese language version of the game is in the testing phase of development, with an exclusive private beta plann­ed for June, 2011. Wizardry Online is expected to launch this summer in Japan, and will be published, distributed and operated by Gamepot with additional content periodically provided by Headlock, the game's developer. The game also will be launched in Europe and North America in 2012.

A revival of the legendary Wizardry titles, Wizardry Online is the next-generation incarnation of a series that has been called the godfather of the role-playing game (RPG) genre. Wizardry first came to computers in the early 1980s, and the popularity of its (Dungeons & Dragons)-style gameplay led to the creation of countless sequels, spin-offs and collections across multiple platforms.

(Wizardry Online hearkens back to the original allure of the groundbreaking Wizardry RPG series, but brings an updated flare for modern gamers,) said Shuhei Ueda, president of Gamepot. (Now, for the first time ever, players around the world can step into the impressive action and captivating lore of this world in a free-to-play, online format. We're confident the return to hardcore role-playing elements will be a shot in the arm for gamers looking for a new challenge in the genre.)

Developed in conjunction with Japanese game studio Headlock Inc., Wizardry Online will offer multiplayer features new to the Wizardry series such as party play and player versus player (PvP) combat, while maintaining the classic style that the series is known for. Hardcore gamers will revel in the return of the complex dungeons that punctuated earlier iterations, and soon will find that the game is fraught ­with significant peril: Wizardry Online features permanent death, in which player characters can be removed from the game upon dying, creating a more immersive experience.

For more information about Wizardry Online, please visit:
http://www.gamepot.co.jp/wiz_en/.

About Gamepot Inc.

Founded in 2001, Gamepot Inc. is devoted to bringing exciting, innovative and fun games to its fans. With Pangya, an online golf game, Gamepot made its first step to success in 2004. Following the successful launches of Kunshu (the Monarch Online), CABAL ONLINE and La Tale in 2006, the very successful re-launch of Square Enix's massively multiplayer online action game Fantasy Earth Zero helped Gamepot secure its position as a leading online game publisher in the Japanese market.

Gamepot joined one of the leading Japanese ISP's, So-net Entertainment Corporation, in 2008. As So-net's (online gaming arm,) Gamepot added game development capability with the acquisition of VoidPointer, an MMO development-specialized studio, which is famous for Paperman, a first person shooter launched in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan, with plans to launch in China through its partner KongZhong Corporation, a Nasdaq-listed Chinese online games publisher.

For more information on Gamepot, please visit:
http://www.gamepot.co.jp/english/index.aspx.