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NCsoft: Guild Wars 2 beta coming later this year, will probably release in 2012
Do you want the good news or the bad news? The good news is that Guild Wars 2 fans hoping to get their hands on this title this year may get their wish -- but the bad news is that it looks as though the release is still a while away. According to Eurogamer, Guild Wars 2 will enter beta testing in the second half of this year. The news came out in a conference call with NCsoft's Jaeho Lee, who also indicated that the title wouldn't release until 2012: "Starting from year 2012, we believe substantial growth will be driven by new blockbuster titles like [Blade & Soul] and Guild Wars 2. Also, Guild Wars 2 will go into beta testing stage in the second half of this year." However, until we hear a definite release date, we'll take this with a pinch of salt, especially considering that ArenaNet's mantra is "When it's ready" -- and this isn't the first time Lee has said something similar. Hopefully, "ready" will come quickly.
NCsoft releases teaser trailer for Blade and Soul
When we say "NCsoft" it usually brings to mind their big, highly-promoted titles like City of Heroes, Aion, and Guild Wars. However, NCsoft enjoys quite a bit of popularity in their home country of Korea, and a lot of people are looking forward to another upcoming title. Blade and Soul hasn't enjoyed the worldwide hype that some other NCsoft titles have, but it's still got an excited fan base looking forward to it. News for eager fans has been on the skimpy side, with the biggest announcement lately being a recent mention from the NCsoft CEO Jaeho Lee: "I believe there will be certain public events in the year 2010... at least a closed beta test for those titles. Commercialisation will be expected, at this point, probably some time in the year 2011." Yesterday NCsoft delivered a little surprise via Twitter for those anticipating Blade and Soul: a teaser trailer is coming soon, and a 30-second teaser is available now. Take a look at the teaser after the jump, and we'll keep an eye out for the full length version for you!
NCsoft hints at Guild Wars 2 beta in 2010, launch in 2011
Fans of Guild Wars have been waiting for well over two years for Guild Wars 2, ever since ArenaNet fired up the hype machine in a big way back in March of 2007. Anet announced Guild Wars 2 and Eye of the North at the same time, and anticipated that the beta for GW2 would arrive in the second half of 2008. Since the announcement, the Guild Wars player base has become intimately familiar with various versions of the phrases "We haven't released that information" and "TBA", punctuated occasionally with new information. While the bits of information given here and there add up to something relatively substantial, fans are still asking the big question: When? Obviously the planned 2008 beta didn't happen, and now fans will have to wait a bit longer. CEO Jaeho Lee referred to GW2 and Blade and Soul in a recent conference call with investors: "I believe there will be certain public events in the year 2010... at least a closed beta test for those titles. Commercialisation will be expected, at this point, probably some time in the year 2011." At least fans have plenty of time and motivation to finish filling their Hall of Monuments. Silence and delays aside, when Guild Wars 2 finally arrives, most fans trust ArenaNet to give them something well worth the wait.
NCsoft aims for Aion to be second only to WoW in US
NCsoft has big plans for their fantasy MMO Aion in the west, and they're hoping to emulate their Asian success in the North American market. Kris Graft reports for Gamasutra that Aion generated 40.6 billion won (USD 32.7 million) in Q2 2008, which he notes is a strong start. In an earnings call, NCsoft CFO Jaeho Lee said, "I believe the performance of Aion in the US and European markets will be very successful. ... We are guessing that Aion will be -- could be -- the second [most] successful MMO in the US market next to World of Warcraft." Bold optimism, to be sure. What really caught our attention, though, was that Graft pointed out a mention of the now dead-and-buried Tabula Rasa during that earnings call, another title NCsoft once had high hopes for in western markets. In answer to a question about how many boxes of Aion will ship as opposed to Tabula Rasa, Gamasutra quotes Lee as having said, "It's very unfortunate to hear the name of Tabula Rasa at this conference call... and we all want to forget and erase that memory from our performance."
Jaeho Lee moving to Seattle, not running NC West from Korea
When the news came out last week that Jaeho Lee, former chief financial officer for NCsoft, would be taking over as CEO of NCsoft West, a lot of people (including press) assumed that he would be calling the shots from Korea -- after all, NCsoft had said that the change was about "global management" and working together across business units. However, we are now being told that Lee will make the journey to Seattle to join the NCsoft West team. In response to the earlier reports of NCsoft shifting leadership of its Western division to Korea, a rep had this to say to Gamasutra:"Jaeho Lee is moving to Seattle, so nothing has shifted except him. A similar change of personnel happened in our Japan office, so this was a strategic move on the part of our headquarters in Seoul to streamline global management."The rep also mentioned that Lee ran other departments such as marketing and production while in his position as chief financial officer.
NCsoft West gets a new CEO
There's been another shift in the staffing over at NCsoft West. This time, former CEO Chris Chung will be moving aside to let Jaeho Lee take his place. Lee was the chief financial officer of NCsoft, and his appointment at NC West was made with the intention of improving the subsidiary's communication with home base in Korea. NCsoft's corporate PR director Jae Sung Lee gave a comment to Kotaku regarding the move:"As part of the corporation's global strategy, global management grows increasingly important, and the need to work together across business units becomes paramount to our success. This personnel change increases our ability in each market to remain competitive."Chris Chung hasn't been turfed out on to the front doorstep as a result of the move and will remain where he is at NCsoft West, albeit with a lesser job title.
Aion leading sales for NCsoft
It's one of the must-play MMOs of 2009 and not even out here yet. However Aion, which was released in Korea late last year, is driving sales for NCsoft, according to Gamasutra. The company held a conference call to discuss their sales figures and revealed Aion has generated 42.65 billion Korean won (around $34.57 million). The call also touched upon the game's growth, stating that the Korean beta started with 25 servers and that figure has now risen, post release, to 41.Check out the full press release from NCsoft after the jump.
