Guild Wars tourney dated

ArenaNet and MMO publisher NCsoft have announced the date and location for the grand finale of the Guild Wars Factions Championship Series, which will take place at Europe's largest videogame convention in Leipzig later this year.

The culmination of three seasons of competitive gameplay taking place between 7 March and 26 June 2006, the Championship Series is open to all Guild Wars players, the top 16 guilds on the Guild Wars Ladder and at the end of each season competing for championship points in post-season playoffs.

The five guilds from around the world with the most Championship Points at the end of the three qualifying seasons, along with the winner of the upcoming Guild Wars Factions Championship Open Event, will be awarded a trip to the GC Game Convention in Leipzig, where they will compete for more than USD 100,000 in cash and prizes.

The overall winner of the World Championship will also earn the honour of choosing the designs of next season's set of Guild Wars skill pins, the new collectable badges given to Guild Wars fans at events throughout the year.

Dirk Metzger, marketing director, NCsoft Europe, commented: "Guild Wars has been a huge success in Europe - it topped the charts all across Europe when it was released last year and the momentum has been building ever since. The news that the Guild Wars Factions World Championship will be held in Leipzig will be greeted with enormous enthusiasm by the fans and we are looking forward to creating a real buzz during the Game Convention."

A highly anticipated stand-alone follow-up to the critically acclaimed Guild Wars, Factions is a massively multiplayer online game in which more than a million players explore a rich fantasy world, acquire skills, build personalised characters, and compete in head-to-head battles with players from around the globe.

ArenaNet attributes the success of Guild Wars to compelling game design, innovative technology that offers a unique online gameplay experience, and its business model which does not require a monthly subscription fee, therefore encouraging more gamers to purchase and play.

Guild Wars Factions is scheduled for retail release on April 28th, at a suggested retail price of GBP 29.99. The game will be featured in a number of promotional events throughout the year, culminating with the World Championship tournament at the GC Game Convention in Leipzig, Germany, 24-27 August. The special event will be filmed by Eurogamer.net and broadcast through the recently launched EGTV service.