PlayNC Europe - Press Releases

NCsoft Opens City of Heroes World to Mac Gamers

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:26:00 +0000

Brighton, January 8, 2009 – NCsoft®, the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), today announced the commercial launch of City of Heroes® for the Apple® Macintosh® across all NCsoft West consumer territories. Now PC players and Mac players can live their comic-book dreams together, in the shared fictional world of Paragon CityTM and the Rogue IslesTM.

The game has been enabled for the Mac by TransGaming, Inc. (TSX-V: TNG), a leading developer of portability technologies for the electronic entertainment industry. Mac players can now purchase the digital-only Mac Special Edition of City of Heroes, from NCsoft’s PlayNC® store. The Mac Special Edition includes the client, 30 days of game time and a set of exclusive in-game items.

“Our community is excited that City of Heroes is coming to Mac,” said Brian Clayton, executive producer of City of Heroes for NCsoft West. “We are thrilled to offer avid Mac fans the ability to play the most robust comic-book inspired MMO on the market.”

In City of Heroes, players craft their own unique hero or villain identities and join millions of other player created characters in a constantly expanding universe. Unparalleled character customisation is a hallmark of the City of Heroes franchise. Players can choose from hundreds of different powers and thousands of costume options, resulting in near limitless personalisation. Players may go it alone or band together with others in Supergroups.

City of Heroes is rated PEGI 16+. For more information about City of Heroes go to http://eu.cityofheroes.com.

About NCsoft NCsoft, headquartered in Seoul, Korea, is the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games, including the critically acclaimed Lineage®, Guild Wars® and City of Heroes® franchises. NCsoft West is a division of NCsoft which holds operating responsibilities for North America, Europe, South America and Australia/New Zealand. More information can be found at http://eu.plaync.com/eu/

### NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, Lineage, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, Paragon City, Rogue Isles and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NCsoft exhibits at Memorabilia

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:15:00 +0000

Brighton, England (November 2008) - NCsoft®, the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), is pleased to announce that it will be exhibiting at the Memorabilia consumer show, at Birmingham’s NEC on the 22nd and 23rd November 2008. NCsoft will be giving visitors the chance to play their award winning PC title City of Heroes®, as well as other games in the NCsoft range including Guild Wars™, Lineage® II and Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa®.

The Memorabilia show is the UK’s longest running and most established event for fans of movies, cult TV, comics and video games. The show attracts a staggering thirty thousand plus visitors a year and is a true celebration of popular culture. There will also be celebrity guests in attendance, as well as competitions and gaming tournaments for attendees to participate in over the two days.

This year, visitors to the NCsoft booth will be able to obtain special codes for unique in-game items such as the PPD Hardsuit power for City of Heroes and a special Lumin pet for Tabula Rasa! Starter Packs for Guild Wars, Lineage II and Tabula Rasa will also be available for a small fee, the proceeds of which will be given in full to the ‘Draw the World Together’ charity. These Starter Packs will grant players game trials for a period of free play. What’s more, the first 2,000 visitors to arrive at the show each day will be handed a free copy of the City of Villains™ Collector’s Edition box, which features a unique two sided poster, an art collection book, exclusive in-game items, and all seven custom-made City of Heroes and City of Villains HeroClix® figures!

In addition to hands on game play, NCsoft is bringing along two of the signature characters from their games. The heroic Ms. Liberty from City of Heroes and the Guild Wars Ranger Reyna will both be present during the weekend. This is a chance of a lifetime for fans to get a professional photo taken with the ladies themselves, while those who come dressed in their own character costume will be entered into an NCsoft Costume Contest, with more great prizes to be won!

As if this wasn’t enough excitement for one weekend, artists from the ‘Draw the World Together’ charity project will also be on hand over the weekend to recreate your in-game characters on paper! On Saturday, Mike Collins and Neil Edwards will be sketching your characters, while on Sunday Neil will be joined by an as-yet unnamed artist. Kat Nicholson and Jason Cardy will be present throughout the weekend to colour the artwork. The team will be drawing on behalf of the EveryChild charity, details of which are below.

Memorabilia 2008 is a must attend event for fans of NCsoft’s City of Heroes, a title currently played all over Europe by comic and games fans alike. The extravagant world of super-powered mayhem will both thrill and excite Memorabilia’s regular attendees as well as newcomers to the show.

More information on all NCsoft’s current and forthcoming titles, plus full details on NCsoft’s involvement at this event can be found on the official websites:

http://eu.cityofheroes.com/ http://www.plaync.com

Memorabilia official site - http://www.memorabilia.co.uk/ Draw the World Together Website - http://www.drawtheworldtogether.com/ Draw The World’s charity, EveryChild - http://www.everychild.org.uk/

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NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, Lineage, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, Paragon City, Rogue Isles and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NCsoft and TransGaming Announce City of Heroes for the Mac

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:11:00 +0000

SEATTLE and TORONTO, Ontario, October 30, 2008 – NCsoft®, the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), today announced a partnership with TransGaming, Inc. (TSX-V: TNG) to bring their award-winning City of Heroes® franchise to the Apple® Macintosh®. The game has been enabled for the Mac by TransGaming, a leading developer of portability technologies for the electronic entertainment industry. City of Heroes for Mac will be available for public beta testing with the release of the game’s thirteenth expansion, Issue 13: Power and Responsibility later this autumn. The official launch will occur pre-holiday this year with a special digital-only Mac edition of City of Heroes, available across all NCsoft West consumer territories.

“Players will soon be able to join the battle of good versus evil in the most popular comic book MMO on both the PC and Mac platforms…and in the same game world,” commented Brian Clayton, executive producer of City of Heroes for NCsoft West. “Given the Mac’s fame as a platform for creative people and City of Heroes’ unprecedented character customisation options, I think City of Heroes is a perfect fit for the Mac gaming community.”

In City of Heroes, the most popular comic book inspired MMO on the market, players craft their hero or villain identities and join millions of other player created characters in a constantly expanding universe. Unparalleled character customisation is a hallmark of the City of Heroes franchise. Players can choose from hundreds of different powers and thousands of costume options, resulting in near limitless personalisation. Players may go it alone or band together with others in super groups.

City of Heroes for Mac was made possible using TransGaming’s CiderTM Portability Engine, which acts as a “wrapper” around the game software, enabling it to run seamlessly on Intel-based Macs. The partnership with NCsoft to develop and publish City of Heroes for Mac offers the Mac gaming community its first opportunity to do battle in the streets of Paragon City™ and the Rogue Isles™ in a persistent universe with no differentiation between the PC and Mac. “NCsoft’s City of Heroes MMO is an incredible franchise and TransGaming is thrilled to provide Mac gamers the ability to demonstrate their creativity by building their own heroes and villains and immersing themselves in the battle between good and evil,” commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & president of TransGaming. “Through Cider, the Mac version will parallel the developments of the PC version, providing all game updates, new features, and storylines simultaneously on both platforms.”

The City of Heroes Mac Special Edition digital product will be sold at the PlayNC store. City of Heroes is rated “16+”. For more information about City of Heroes go to http://uk.cityofheroes.com/.

About TransGaming, Inc. TransGaming Inc. (TSX-V: TNG), is a leader in the development of unique software portability products that facilitate the deployment of games across multiple platforms. TransGaming’s portability technologies significantly reduce the time-to-market for and costs associated with multi-platform game releases. TransGaming works with many of the industry’s leading developers and publishers to enable their games on the Mac and Linux operating systems, and currently markets its products under four brand names: Cider (Mac Gaming), Cedega (Linux Gaming), SwiftShader (Graphics Rendering) and GameTreeOnline.com (Digital Retail). TransGaming is headquartered in Toronto, Canada and maintains a research and development center in Ottawa, Canada. To learn more about TransGaming’s products visit http://www.transgaming.com

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NCsoft Announces Formation of ‘NC West’

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:35:00 +0000

SEOUL, Korea, Sept. 11, 2008— NCsoft ® Corporation (KSE: 036570.KS), the world’s leading publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), including award-winning franchises Lineage ®, Guild Wars ® and City of Heroes ®, today announced the formation of “NC West™”. A wholly-owned subsidiary of NCsoft with operating responsibility for western regions including the US and Europe, NC West will be led by Chris Chung as CEO, Jeff Strain as president, product development, David Reid as president, publishing, and Patrick Wyatt as CTO as well as yet unannounced European executives.

NCsoft’s existing subsidiaries NC Interactive, NC Europe, NC Austin, and ArenaNet will be led as a unified organization under NC West with a dedicated focus towards becoming the world’s premier western publisher of MMOs. NC West is the tentative name for the organization, and the company expects to announce final naming and corporate structure in the near future. NC West’s headquarters is planned to be established in Seattle, WA by the end of 2008.

Chris Chung, previously CEO of NC Interactive, has a long history with NCsoft. He began his tenure at NCsoft’s ArenaNet® studio, where he managed that studio’s business and helped launch the multi-platinum selling Guild Wars franchise. Chung later went on to become the chief publishing officer for NCsoft’s Seoul headquarters. Prior to NCsoft, Chung spent more than five years at Microsoft and later co-founded a marketing research firm. As CEO of NC West, Chung will continue to report directly to NCsoft CEO Taek Jin (TJ) Kim.

“We are confident that by combining our subsidiaries into a unified global organization under Chris Chung’s leadership, NC West will become a more powerful force to be reckoned with in the western MMO market,” said TJ Kim. “Chris has become a guiding force within our company and has been extremely successful at every position he has held with us. His detailed first-hand knowledge of all aspects of our business is invaluable and will help establish NC West as a global leader.”

Jeff Strain was formerly the president and co-founder of ArenaNet, a company he formed with Patrick Wyatt and Mike O’Brien when they left senior roles at Blizzard Entertainment in 2000. Additionally, Strain held the position of executive producer of Guild Wars 2™ prior to taking this new role. Strain will report directly to Chung and manage all NC West development studios across all existing and future products. Strain will also direct the production of NCsoft’s Asian-developed titles for NC West territories.

David Reid began with NCsoft in March 2008 as vice-president, marketing for North America. Reid came to NCsoft from Turner Broadcasting’s GameTap, where he served as vice-president, marketing. Prior to that, he worked at Microsoft as director of global platform marketing, where he launched the Xbox 360. In his new role, Reid will continue to report to Chung and will lead franchise management, marketing, public relations, sales, and customer support for NC West.

As a founder of ArenaNet, Patrick Wyatt led the development of the network and server technologies for the Guild Wars franchise, and directed the architecture and deployment of ArenaNet’s global game network infrastructure. Before co-founding ArenaNet with Strain and O’Brien, Wyatt was the vice president of research and development for Blizzard Entertainment, where he led programming for the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises. As CTO for NC West, Wyatt will report to Chung and will focus on platform technology development, network operations, and systems engineering. “There is an unparalleled opportunity for growth in the massively multiplayer online market,” said Chris Chung. “By combining the strength of our US and European teams, NCsoft has the best global infrastructure to win in new and existing markets, and the best developer talent capable of creating blockbuster MMO franchises.”

About NC West NC West is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation, a world leading publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games including Lineage/Lineage II, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa®, and Aion®: The Tower of Eternity™. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.PlayNC.com.

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NCsoft, ArenaNet, Lineage, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2, Tabula Rasa, Aion, The Tower of Eternity and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NCsoft Steps Up Battle in the Fight Against Illegal Game Servers

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:28:00 +0000

BRIGHTON, England (10th April 2008) – NCsoft®, the world-leading, publisher of massively multiplayer online games such as Guild Wars®, Lineage® II and City of Heroes®, today announced that it was stepping up its fight against the growing menace of intellectual property theft. This action comes as a direct response to the rise of illegal online game servers throughout Eastern Europe, particularly in Greece and Russia where NCsoft’s fantasy-based online role playing game, Lineage II, is extremely popular.

The fraudulent servers in question are being used by players playing at home and in internet cafes, but such unauthorised servers often feature – or require users to download – illegally modified and potentially harmful game data, thereby changing the intended online experience.

NCsoft’s European office has identified several prominent illegal servers across Europe and is in the process of taking action against individuals and corporations deemed to be in breach of international copyright laws. In a lawsuit that was commenced last year in Greece, NCsoft successfully obtained a court order against Internet Cafe business, ‘e-GLOBAL’ following which four of its cafes were raided and illegal software was seized. This led to the shutting down of illegal servers on which pirate copies of Lineage II software was loaded. Georgios Katostaris – Chairman of the Board and Managing Director, Constantinos Zygouras – Vice-Chairman of the Board and Managing Director, Athanassios Dobros – Deputy Managing Director and Dimitrios Koutsoukos – Administrator of the company under the name ‘INTERNET DYNAMICS LLC’ have all been made personal defendants to the proceedings that are continuing in the Greek Courts in which NCsoft is seeking damages as well as criminal remedies.

“Illegal game servers, such as those operating from e-GLOBAL, have a hugely negative impact on both NCsoft Europe and its customers,” commented Max Brown, NCsoft Europe’s Sales & Operations Director. “They seriously affect the player’s experience of our products and rob the company of potential revenue that is used to further enhance the player experience on official servers. NCsoft’s loss in revenue from e-GLOBAL’s operation is estimated in excess of six million Euros. We are defiant in our resolve to stamp out theft of NCsoft’s intellectual properties and are prepared to take the strongest measures to do so.”

NCsoft has a proven track record in combating illegal servers, having worked with the FBI in November 2006 to shut down a substantial unofficial Lineage II server run by US-based website, L2Extreme.com. Following multiple raids across cities throughout the US, L2Extreme’s fraudulent servers – which claimed to support 50,000 active users – were taken offline, as was the L2Extreme.com website.

About NCsoft Europe NCsoft Europe (NCE) is headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom and is wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online games. NCsoft operates publishing offices within North America, Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand and has development studios in Seattle, Austin, California (North America) and Seoul (Korea). NCE recently announced the formation of the first European development studio, based within the UK.

NCE began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles and continues to support its franchises, which include Lineage II (November 2004), City of Heroes (4th February 2005), Guild Wars (28th April 2005), City of Villains® (31st October 2005), Guild Wars Factions™ (28th April 2006), Guild Wars Nightfall™ (27th October 2006), Guild Wars: Eye of the North™ (31st August 2007) and Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa® (2nd November 2007). More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://eu.plaync.com.

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NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Tabula Rasa, PlayNC, Lineage, The Kamael, The Chaotic Throne, Hellbound, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, City of Heroes and City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NCsoft Europe Introduces Sana Security

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Play it safe with Sana’s Primary Response SafeConnect, a powerful security technology that protects you online.

Global Online Gaming Leader NCsoft Europe Selects Sana Security to Give Gamers Highest Level of Online Security with Least Impact on Precious CPU Resources Sana’s powerful, behavior-based security technology protects gamers from attacks on non-gaming vulnerabilities while online

London, UK – February 28, 2008 – Sana Security, Inc., the leading behavioral security software company, today announced that NCsoft®Europe, the world’s largest developer and publisher of online computer games, recommends Sana’s Primary Response SafeConnect as a deterrent against malicious software whilst playing online. NCsoft Europe, whose millions of dedicated players are among the most devoted, demanding and technically sophisticated gamers in the world, chose Sana technology because of its effectiveness and extremely low impact on memory and CPU performance.

Online gamers continually seek to squeeze the greatest performance out of their systems. For most, traditional anti-virus (AV) software is seen as the most intrusive, as well as being a serious drain on memory and performance. Many gamers turn their AV software off altogether while gaming, exposing them to risks through the known and unknown vulnerabilities that exist in a variety of other applications they leave running for use while gaming online.

Built on Sana’s award winning behavior-based anti-malware technology, Primary Response SafeConnect detects and removes malicious software, including difficult new variants designed to steal password and identity information via “phishing,” spyware, malware and other methods. Sana technology is also effective against criminal software innovations being used to hide the very presence of malware on a device, which make it far more difficult to detect or remove.

“Our subscribers recognize that, while our service is completely secure, they may be exposed to security risks that can find their way in via other applications,” said Mark Heath, business development manager for NCsoft Europe. “We chose Sana’s Primary Response SafeConnect because it provides an extra layer of security with far less performance degradation – factors that best meet the highly demanding needs of our players.”

“NCsoft Europe has been quite visionary as regards the security needs of their subscribers, and has recognized that Primary Response SafeConnect is a perfect match for gamers,” said Peter Baxter, Sana’s general manager for Europe, Middle East & Africa. “Online gamers understand the risks and threats that are out there, but simply won’t use a product that gets in the way of their gaming. Sana delivers serious protection that protects them without interfering with the online experience.”

NCE began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles and continues to support its franchises, which include Lineage® II (November 2004), City of Heroes® (4th February 2005), Guild Wars® (28th April 2005), City of Villains® (31st October 2005), Guild Wars Factions™ (28th April 2006), Guild Wars Nightfall™ (27th October 2006), Guild Wars: Eye of the North™ (31st August 2007) and Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa® (2nd November 2007).

NCsoft will introduce a brand new title to its innovative portfolio in 2008; Aion® – The Tower of Eternity, planned for release late 2008. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://eu.plaync.com.

About Sana Security Sana Security provides software that protects against what others can’t protect against or see, providing immunity from threats, both known and unknown. Unlike reactive, legacy solutions that require updates, signatures and scanning, Sana’s proactive security products offer enterprises, small businesses and consumers instant and constant protection against increasingly complex attacks, data compromise and identity theft. Sana Security’s suite of centrally managed, standalone and on demand products drives innovation in anti-malware solutions. Sana Security, together with its research organization Sana Labs, is headquartered in Silicon Valley, California with offices in global business and technology centers. For more information, visit http://www.sanasecurity.com or contact the company by phone at +1 (650) 292-7100.

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NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Tabula Rasa, PlayNC, Lineage, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, Dungeon Runners, City of Heroes and City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NCsoft Europe establishes distribution network in Russia

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa secures 4th position in retail charts, confirming the games broad appeal with players worldwide.

Brighton, England (February 27th, 2008) – Leading online games publisher NCsoft® Europe today confirmed details of their distribution network within Russia. Working with three of Russia’s premiere distribution companies, NCsoft has formed a solid network for their existing portfolio of online role-play games and paved the way for their upcoming major 2008 release; Aion: The Tower of Eternity™.

NOVIY DISK has secured ‘boxed product’ distribution rights of the recently released, sci-fi MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role play game) Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa®. Launched on the 17th January 2008, Tabula Rasa is available within the premium-label ‘ND Games’, featuring localised packaging and instructions and is available in two versions; Standard and Collector’s Edition. The title entered position #10 within the ND PC games chart* on its week of release and powered up to position #4, confirming the games broad appeal with players worldwide.

Service operators NETVILLE and YANDEX have signed ‘digital’ distribution agreements for game activation codes within the NCsoft portfolio. Available from YANDEX is Richard Garriott’s pioneering sci-fi hit Tabula Rasa; the multi-million subscription based Lineage® II: The Chaotic Throne – The Kamael™ and Game Time Card codes (15, 30 and 60 days) for all subscription based titles. NETVILLE in addition distribute the super powered MMO, City of Heroes® and City of Villains™ and the award winning Guild Wars® franchise from ArenaNet; including Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions™, Guild Wars Nightfall™ and Guild Wars: Eye of the North™. All Guild Wars titles have been localised into Russian and include a dedicated Russian district for players.

“We are delighted to be working with such respected and commercially successful partners, as Noviy Disk, Netville and Yandex,” stated Max Brown, Sales and Operations Director of NCsoft Europe. “Through our joint cooperation, NCsoft titles are available to customers across the entire country. Our partnerships ensure that we can meet our player’s needs and prepare them for our titles this year and beyond.”

For further details of NCsoft Europe and its titles, visit the official website at: http://eu.plaync.com/eu/

* The Noviy Disk chart is comprised of sales data across the ND trading network, including online stores. The network totals 90% of all multimedia retail outlets in Russia.

NCE began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles and continues to support its franchises, which include Lineage® II (November 2004), City of Heroes® (4th February 2005), Guild Wars® (28th April 2005), City of Villains™ (31st October 2005), Guild Wars Factions™ (28th April 2006), Guild Wars Nightfall™ (27th October 2006), Guild Wars: Eye of the North™ (31st August 2007) and Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa™ (2nd November 2007).

NCsoft will introduce a brand new title to its innovative portfolio in 2008; Aion – The Tower of Eternity, due for launch Q3 2008. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://eu.plaync.com. ### NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Tabula Rasa, Character Cloning System, PlayNC, Lineage, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, Dungeon Runners, City of Heroes and City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Noviy Disk Established in 1997 and headquartered in Moscow, Russia, Noviy Disk is a leading Publisher and Distributor of PC software and games across the Russian-speaking territories with over 500 top PC products localized into Russian in its portfolio. The company works with Eidos, Midway, Activision, Deep Silver, 10Tacle, THQ, Buena Vista Games, Her Interactive, Empire Interactive, Irrational Games, Sunflowers, Ubisoft, ITE, and many other companies representing their products in the Russian-speaking markets. The current Games line includes Tomb Raider Legend, X3 Reunion, Call of Duty 4, Unreal Tournament 3, Cars The Videogame, Rise and Fall, The Settlers 10th Anniversary, Open Season, Just Cause, Dreamfall The Longest Journey, GTR2, Chronicles of Narnia and many more. The company is a market leader in non-games market segment with Kids Products line (including The Incredibles, Brother Bear, Finding Nemo, Agent Hugo, Hello Kitty, I Spy, Clifford, Nancy Drew and Mia series) and Edutainment Products line (Red Shift Series, Britannica Encyclopedias, Euro Talk range). In 2006 Nintendo of Europe appointed ND Videogames, an independent subsidiary created by Noviy Disk, to act as the exclusive and official distributor of Nintendo products for the Russian market. ND Videogames deals with distribution of Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii hardware and software as well as develops original titles for these highly-popular consoles. More information about the company and its products can be found online at http://www.nd.ru (in Russian).

About Netville Netville was founded in February of 2006 as Network Service Aggregator company. Key goal of the company is to organize and provide synergy based on cooperation between Producers of content (Licensors), Internet Providers and Customers. We provide ISPs with the specialized service platform which is easily integrated into broadband operator or media partner network systems. This unique instrument offers operator’s customers all the advantages of new Content-on-Demand (COD) service principle as well as new tools of personalization with the use of unique COD. More information about Netville and list of our services can be found at http://netville.ru/catalog.

About Yandex Money Yandex.Money - the most simple and user friendly payment system in Russia, serving now over 2,000,000 wallets and over 1,000 merchants in all segments of e-commerce, from games, blogs and social networks to books, CDs and flowers. Yandex.Money provides now more than 100,000 points of wallet top-up all over the Russia – ATMs, banks, shops of prepaid cards, post offices etc. Yandex.Money was founded in 2002 as 100% subsidiary of Yandex – the major Russian portal listed in Worldwide Search Top10 by comScore in Dec 2007. http://www.yandex.ru/

Guild Wars Tops Five Million Units Sold

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Guild Wars franchise breaks major milestone in less than three years.

Brighton, UK. February 26, 2008 - NCsoft® Europe and ArenaNet® have announced that the Guild Wars® franchise of online roleplaying games has surpassed five million units sold in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Published by NCsoft and developed by ArenaNet, the Guild Wars franchise consists of the original Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions™, Guild Wars Nightfall™, and the recently released expansion, Guild Wars: Eye of the North™. The Guild Wars games have been commercial and critical successes since the release of the original campaign in April of 2005. Its award-winning content and innovative subscription-free business model have created a large and loyal following that is highly anticipating Guild Wars® 2.

“Guild Wars is a proven success and has set a new standard for online RPG games with its unique business model and superior playability,” said NCsoft CEO Taek Jin Kim. “ArenaNet is dedicated to creating games that expand the market and provide great new content to our loyal player base. This success has built a great foundation from which the next generation of Guild Wars games will grow.” With the development of Guild Wars 2 underway, ArenaNet will continue to provide dedicated support to current Guild Wars games and its millions of customers.

“Reaching the five million mark is extremely gratifying for us at ArenaNet because it shows the hard work and dedication we put into our games has resonated with the fans,” said Mike O’Brien, co-founder of ArenaNet. “We are committed to supporting all of our Guild Wars players, and at the same time, we’re extremely excited to work on the game’s evolution. Certainly the future of Guild Wars is as bright as its past and present.”

For more information on the Guild Wars franchise, visit the Guild Wars website at http://www.discoverguildwars.com. The award-winning Guild Wars series, including the recently released Guild Wars: Eye of the North, can be purchased from retailers or downloaded from the PlayNC store at http://eu.plaync.com/eu/store/.

About ArenaNet ArenaNet, located in Bellevue, Washington, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NCsoft Corporation. ArenaNet has built a state-of-the-art interactive game network and develops premier multiplayer online games for dedicated game players. ArenaNet’s titles, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, and Guild Wars: Eye of the North, are global online roleplaying games that allow gamers to play with anyone, anytime, and anywhere in the world. More information about ArenaNet can be found at http://www.arena.net.

NCE began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles and continues to support its franchises, which include Lineage® II (November 2004), City of Heroes® (4th February 2005), Guild Wars (28th April 2005), City of Villains® (31st October 2005), Guild Wars Factions (28th April 2006), Guild Wars Nightfall (27th October 2006), Guild Wars: Eye of the North (31st August 2007) and Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa® (2nd November 2007).

NCsoft will introduce a brand new title to its innovative portfolio in 2008; Aion® – The Tower of Eternity, due for launch Q3 2008. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://eu.plaync.com.

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NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, ArenaNet, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Tabula Rasa, Dungeon Runners, Lineage, and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NCsoft Announces New Studio in North California

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 18:00:00 +0000

Art, programming and project leads from NCsoft and Cryptic Studios team up to take City of Heroes to new heights.

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 6, 2007 - NCsoft® Corp, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced the formation of a new development studio in Mountain View, California. The announcement comes as the company begins a renewed push to further develop the City of Heroes® property, which is now 100 percent owned by NCsoft. Previous to today, ownership of the intellectual property (IP) was split between NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, the original developer of the project.

The new studio will be built around key members of the City of Heroes team from NCsoft and Cryptic Studios including the art, programming and design team leads.

“We’re happy to announce that NCsoft has acquired full ownership of the City of Heroes IP,” said Brian Clayton, NCsoft executive producer and manager of the new studio. “Our plans are clear. We are now in a position to make a major reinvestment in the City of Heroes product line. With our existing Cryptic and NCsoft team as the core, we will be able to run our current service without any interruption to our players, expand our studio to deliver triple-A content, and take City of Heroes to new heights.”

NCsoft will soon be announcing formal plans for the City of Heroes IP, which will include expansions and sequels to the popular comic-book inspired massively multiplayer online (MMO) game.

Matt Miller, Lead Designer on the City of Heroes project and formerly with Cryptic Studios said, “We’re thrilled to be bringing the CoH franchise to the next level. And we couldn’t be more pleased to be working completely under the NCsoft banner. We feel that City of Heroes’ best days are in front of it.”

For more information about City of Heroes, go to http://eu.cityofheroes.com

About NCsoft Corporation NCsoft North America is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NCsoft, with its own development and publishing offices in Texas and California, also works with other NCsoft subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles in the last three years and continues to support its franchises, which include Lineage®/Lineage II, City of Heroes/City of Villains®, Guild Wars®/Guild Wars Factions®/Guild Wars Nightfall®/Guild Wars: Eye of the North™, Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa® and Dungeon Runners™. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.plaync.com.

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NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lineage, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, Dungeon Runners and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NCsoft releases Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 09:26:00 +0000

Defenders of Earth band together to fight alien invaders in gaming legend’s military-style online role playing game

Brighton, England, November 2, 2007— NCsoft® Europe, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, announced today that Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa™, a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game for the PC where players are thrust into an exciting intergalactic struggle, has launched its commercial service in Europe and North America.

“Now the fun begins! I can’t wait to join thousands of other players in this exciting galactic war,” said Richard Garriott, the game’s executive producer. “It is time for us to release Tabula Rasa to the players. I am eager to see player reaction to the game, and am ready to build on what we’ve started here. We’ve got plans for new features and expansions for the foreseeable future and I’m hoping the players will enjoy the game and get excited about what’s in store for them next!”

Tabula Rasa, one of the most anticipated PC titles of the year, is the vision of gaming legend Richard Garriott. The game combines a rich game world and deep storyline with military combat and fast paced action. Set in a near-future science fiction backdrop, players must fight to save humanity against hostile alien enemies trying to gain control of the universe.

The game introduces several innovative elements to massively multiplayer online games, including a Character Cloning System™ that allows players to explore different character classes without having to create a new character, and dynamic battlefields where players feel the frenetic action of combat in an ongoing war.

“We are all very excited about the addition of Tabula Rasa to our catalog of games,” stated Geoff Heath, CEO of NCsoft’s European operation. “One of NCsoft’s goals is to provide different types of online gaming products – both within the ‘proven’ fantasy genre and outside the genre, as well. This game is truly unique; we hope that Tabula Rasa’s science fiction background and military combat action proves to be enjoyable to many types of gamers.”

The standard edition box of Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa (featuring the image of key character, Sarah Morrison) will be available at major retailers at an expected retail price of £29.99 / €44.99 and at the PlayNC® Store. An exclusive standard edition box (depicting an AFS Commando) is available solely from GAME UK retail stores. This limited version contains a special ‘thumb-up’ in-game emote /thumbs. Customers will be able to purchase the recently announced Limited Collector’s Edition box from major retailers at an expected retail price of £49.99 / €69.99.

Both products include the first month of online game play. After the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of £8.99 / €12.99. The game is rated 16+ by PEGI.

For more information about Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa go to the official site.

About NCsoft Europe NCsoft Europe (NC-E) is headquartered in Brighton, England and is part of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online games. NCsoft has already successfully established itself in North America, Japan, Taiwan, China and Thailand. NC-E began operations on 1st September 2004 and serves as a central hub for all NCsoft sales, marketing and distribution operations in Europe, via its European distribution network. NC-E launched Lineage® II in November 2004, City of Heroes® on 4th February 2005, Guild Wars® on 28th April 2005, City of Villains™ on 31st October 2005, Guild Wars Factions™ on 28th April 2006, Guild Wars Nightfall™ on 27th October 2006 and Guild Wars: Eye of the North™ on 31st August 2007. More information about NCsoft Europe can be found at http://eu.plaync.com.

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NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, Tabula Rasa, Character Cloning System, PlayNC, Lineage, Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, Guild Wars Nightfall, Guild Wars: Eye of the North, Dungeon Runners and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. City of Heroes, City of Villains and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation and Cryptic Studios, Inc. Cryptic Studios is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.