Guild Wars 2 Confirm 2012 Release & Beta

However there are still some development issues that need to be addressed before the game can actually hit shelves.

By Matt Mann / January 23, 2012

Today Mike O'Brien, President of developers ArenaNet, officially confirmed that Guild Wars 2 would be released sometime in 2012 for the PC. However, there were still some development issues that need to be addressed before the game can actually hit the shelves. With that in mind, O'Brien also announced there will be a beta released in the near future for the game. Here is what O'Brien had to say about the beta:

"We recently finished our first closed beta test, and were now ready to hold progressively larger events. In February well invite select press to participate in beta testing, and in March and April well aggressively ramp up the size of our beta test events so that many of you will have a chance to participate. And of course, this all leads to the release of Guild Wars 2 later this year."

For those that don't know Guild Wars 2 is an MMO that has promised a new system for questing that is contrary to what is seen in most massively popular multiplayer online games today. In addition, like the first Guild Wars there will be no monthly fee for Guild Wars 2. O'Brien said:

Guild Wars 2 has captured the imagination of gamers and media all over the world with its action-oriented combat, its living world full of dynamic events, its highly personalized role-playing experience, and the handcrafted artistry that suffuses every element of the game."

For more information on the game check out the Guild Wars 2 official blog or official site. I am extremely excited about Guild Wars 2 if for nothing else that there will be no monthly fee; so I will hopefully be checking out the beta later this year. Anybody else hoping to get in on the beta?