Microsoft Zone Archive/News & Events/Microsoft Announces Success of Asheron's Call

Original Link (now dead) - http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEnewsNov26PR.asp

Microsoft Opens Virtual World to the Masses: Asheron's Call Is Off to Strong Start with Full U.S. Retail Release

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The following is taken from a recent Microsoft Press Release: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1999/nov99/massespr.mspx

REDMOND, Wash. -- Nov. 24, 1999 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced that Asheron's Call, a massively multiplayer online game, is off to a strong start now that it has reached its full U.S. retail release. Highly anticipated by computer game fans and acclaimed in previews by the games press, Asheron's Call immerses thousands of players in a dynamic virtual world rich with adventure, magic, and mystery.

Playable exclusively on the MSN Gaming Zone, Asheron's Call has already become the No. 1 game on the Zone. "There are over a hundred games available for play on the Zone, and Asheron's Call broke all previous game records in little over a week," said Adam Waalkes, product unit manager for the MSN Gaming Zone. "More people play Asheron's Call during peak times than any other game the Zone has ever offered."

In addition, Asheron's Call has quickly climbed the sales charts. According to The NPD Group's Interactive Entertainment Service, Asheron's Call was among the top five best-selling PC games during its first two weeks of limited availability (Oct. 31 - Nov. 13).

Developed by the creative minds at Turbine Entertainment, Asheron's Call transports players to the mystical Island of Dereth, an expansive world of more than 500 square miles, where they can explore a rugged landscape that ranges from icy tundra to desert wasteland. Summoned by the ancient magician Asheron to rid the land of the ferocious monsters that roam the countryside, players must choose to compete or cooperate with thousands of other real people. Players can create customized characters by selecting from an extensive array of physical characteristics, attributes, and skills to improve their chances of success and survival in the land of Dereth.

"Although the massively multiplayer genre is still in its infancy, the early success of Asheron's Call clearly proves the growing popularity of this gaming category," Waalkes said. "The holiday season is only now beginning, and we have already had tens of thousands of people log on and play. It is really exciting to see the success of games such as Asheron's Call."