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Neverwinter: Launch Date, End-Game, And First Expansion Revealed
Perfect World and Cryptic Studios brought out all the guns today in an official announcement regarding the Dungeons & Dragons free MMORPG, Neverwinter. The game has been in open beta since April, but will officially launch on June 20, 2013.
June 20 also marks the release date of Gauntlgrym, the PvE and PvP end-game for level 60 players. Gauntlgrym takes place below a hidden and ancient Dwarven city.
Additionally, the studios announced the first official expansion for Neverwinter, Fury of the Feywild, which follows the Fomorian Giants as they try to seize the Elven city of Sharandar.
For those beginning to fret, Perfect World has promised that all character progress from the open beta will be carried over to launch on June 20, after a brief maintenance period.
Want to check out Neverwinter, but don’t have the spare hours to start a new MMO? Listen to Adam and Miller’s take on the game on GI’s Respec Radio.
Click to the next page to read the full press release.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., June 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Perfect World Entertainment Inc. and Cryptic Studios are excited to announce that the most anticipated and already widely-acclaimed free action MMORPG Neverwinter, set in the Dungeons & Dragons® Forgotten Realms® universe from Wizards of the Coast, concludes Open Beta Testing and launches on June 20, 2013. The launch day also marks the live release of Gauntlgrym, Neverwinter's free level 60 PvE and PvP content for veteran players. Additionally, the first free content expansion to Neverwinter, entitled Fury of the Feywild™, has been revealed.
"Boy, we have a lot going on. But then that was the plan from the very beginning," said Cryptic Studios Executive Producer and COO, Craig Zinkievich. "The feedback from players has been incredible. With their help during our Beta Test periods and our accumulated experience from having launched five MMOs, we're confident we've worked out all the major kinks and can sustain the world of Neverwinter without the Beta safety net. I personally thank our Open Beta players for providing an enormous amount of valuable feedback and supporting us during every single step of the development process. As a token of that appreciation, we're running an in-game promotional event near the end of Open Beta. Of course, alongside the launch day comes the release of Gauntlgrym, which adds more end-game content. And, we just announced Fury of the Feywild, our first content expansion for Neverwinter, which will all be, in classic D&D® fashion, Modules. Yeah, there is a lot going on. But we wouldn't have it any other way. The game is doing great and we love working on it."
"We have been thrilled with the work that Cryptic Studios and Perfect World have done on Neverwinter, and the tremendous response from the fans," said Nathan Stewart, Brand Director for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. "This is one of the Forgotten Realms' most iconic cities and we are excited for the millions of fans that will create their own stories in Neverwinter."
Neverwinter entered Open Beta on April 30, which allowed all players unrestricted access to the game world. Those who participate in Open Beta will see their entire game progress rolled over to launch on June 20, after a short maintenance.
The Gauntlgrym end-game content referred to features a massive PvE and PvP battleground where players fight for the greatest treasures hidden deep in the ancient Dwarven city.
Fury of the Feywild, the first Module for Neverwinter, is a free content expansion due this summer that chronicles an attempt by Fomorian Giants to seize the Elven city of Sharandar. More details about Fury of the Feywild are scheduled to be added to the Module's microsite (now just a teaser) as it closes in on its summer launch: http://nw.perfectworld.com/module1
Neverwinter is a free action MMORPG that features fast-paced action combat with epic dungeons. Players explore the vast city of Neverwinter and surrounding countryside, learning the vivid history of the iconic city and battling its many enemies. In Neverwinter, players can create their own quests and campaigns with the Foundry, a user-generated content tool. Foundry quests and stories can then be seamlessly integrated into the live game world.
For more information about Neverwinter, the end of beta event, and to begin playing now for free, please visit the official website: http://www.PlayNeverwinter.com
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