Wizard101 launches!

by Michael Zenke Sep 2nd 2008 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Launches, New titles, Free-to-play, Kids, Wizard101

After a summer-long beta period the graphically beautiful Wizard101 is now live! This kid-oriented free-to-play title is now available for any interested parties, and KingsIsle has announced a number of interesting tidbits to go along with the game's launch. While the title is technically free to play, the company is offering a substantial package of benefits for a $9.95/month fee. In fact, it might be better to think of the 'free to play' component of the game as more of a trial than anything else. Large parts of the game world are unavailable for non-subscribers, and the ability to chat with other players is disabled for free players. More details on the game's business model are available in a post from Tipa at West Karana.

Interested subscribers can actually get a steal of a deal if they want to pay a bit upfront; KingsIsle is offering a year-long subscription for just $60, allowing you a full year of the cards-and-kids magic title. For full details on the game, be sure to check out our previous features on the title:

Our hands-on with the game when the title was announced!
An interview with the creators!
Plenty of video footage all about the creation of the game.

Read on below the cut for the full press release, and enjoy the world of Ravenwood Academy!

Gallery: Wizard101

Gallery: Wizard101 mini-games

KingsIsle Entertainment Launches Wizard101
Virtual Wizard School Now In Session

Plano, Texas -- Sept 02, 2008 -- Tweens are grabbing their best spell-casting gear and rushing off to school... wizard school, that is. Online entertainment company KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. has officially opened the doors of its highly anticipated Wizard101 virtual world, a magical 3D environment where aspiring wizards gather to adventure with friends and save their world from creatures like a pumpkin-headed Harvest Lord and a zombie named Wormguts.

Michael Lafferty of GameZone commented, "The game is thoroughly delightful, exuding a youthful sense of fun and excitement... KingsIsle is on track to have a certified hit title."

Joe Blancato of GiantRealm said, "A kid-targeted [Massively Multiplayer Online Game] that's charming the beard off anyone who plays it, regardless of age."

Designed for pre-teens and attracting a wider audience of families and traditional gamers, Wizard101 features magical adventure and card style gameplay. Players enroll in the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts and begin a course of spell study. Immediately upon arrival at wizard school they are tapped by the Headmaster to help save the school from a renegade teacher who has disappeared but who seems to be behind some mysterious happenings.

Wizard101 features include:

Extensive magical 3D worlds, each with its own creative theme such as a feudal countryside run by Samoorai cows, or an ancient Egyptian-inspired land where the treasured relics are being carted off by dogs from another world.
More than 101 collectible spells that come to cinematic life as players learn to summon creatures such as Ninja Pigs and a Leprechaun that slides in on a rainbow and showers opponents with gold.
Seven different schools of Magic, each with its own unique style and gameplay experience.
The ability to adopt magical pets, like a flying dragon or a mischievous imp.
A wide variety of outfits and accessories for customizable Wizard avatars.
Puzzles and mini-games that challenge players and provide a place to rest and rejuvenate after duels.

Wizard101's collaborative play style supports an environment where players benefit from working together in adventure quests and lower level characters can play alongside higher level ones. A three-tiered chat system and pre-defined character name generator create a safe community for younger players. The game contains no blood, and characters don't die if they are defeated in a duel of spells-they simply go to a safe area on campus to regain health. An Arena provides a spot for more traditional gamers to show off their player versus player spell-casting skills.

Wizard101 is free-to-play, with advanced play content available by subscription at the rate of $9.95 per month. Discounts are available for six-month and one-year subscriptions. For a limited time a 12 month subscription can be purchased for $60. Gift subscriptions are expected to be available online soon. To play, PC users may simply go to www.wizard101.com and download the game installer.

Tags: breaking, free-to-play, kids, kingsisle-entertainment, launch, magic, new-titles, wizard-101, wizardry

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

äsdf said on 4:14PM 9-02-2008

I would just like to thank Massively for introducing me to this game so that I could introduce this game to my younger sister. Any game that helps keep my sister away from that disgusting Club Penguin is a good game in my book.

I've watched her play extensively and it really isn't a bad game for that age group.

Ripper McGee said on 4:38PM 9-02-2008

I been in the beta for the last couple weeks and have had a lot of fun. I really like Wizard101 and my entire family (all five of us) really got into it. How many games immediately appeal to both young and old(er), male and female demographics? Kingssisle has done really well in that regard! Unfortunately, I think there are some issues with the game and I really dislike the pricing model.

Issues:

1) Grouping - the inability to have a consistent group is real hassle - if I want to group with my family, we all just have to follow each other around and jump in to battles.

2) Grouping - you can't lock down a circle so that nobody else can join. How many times have I fought a battle and had the monster down to a sliver of health , or I'm at a sliver of health, when suddenly one or more players jump in, extending my fight and either killing me or forcing me to stay for several extra rounds when I'd rather be doing something else. Fleeing battle isn't an option, because you lose your XP and mana for doing so. So, it's either stay and hope you survive, flee or die and lose everything anyway. Furthermore, I've been seen scenarios where 3 players will jump into a battle, pulling in three additional monters, then all three leave, letting you stay to die or flee! That sucks. If it bothers me as an adult, imagine how it will bug a kid! If a player brings in a monster, then the player leaving should dispel the monster...

3) Chat - I added my oldest daughter as a friend. In order for us to chat back and forth, we have to click the text chat link in the friend's list every time. - That's a pain.

4) Chat - no dedicated groups mean no dedicated group chat.

5) $10/month might be livable for a single account for somebody who's really into the game, but--in general--I think the price is too high for what is, ostensibly, a kid's game that doesn't have major features like dedicated groups, guilds, crafting, item-trade, etc... Also, this is a game that appeals strongly to families, but there's no family plan (there are master accounts where I could control access to the game for my entire family, so there's already a launch pad for family plans). That seems very shortsighted of the publisher. I might pay $25 - $30/month for my entire family to play Wizard101, but I won't pay $50.

7) This game CANNOT be considered F2P. Kingsisle stating "Wizard101 is free-to-play" is misleading, in my opinion. I consider Wizard101 to be a subscription-based game with a non-expiring free trial. In addition, there's the option to purchase Crowns for cash (a microtransaction fee). Crowns can then be redeemed at in-game vendors for special items. If the items are as good as they were in beta (the items I bought for crowns were far, far better than ANY item I had yet found or been rewarded in game) then this means even subscribers will still need to pay additional cash if they want the best items.

8) You have to subscribe to use text chat (assuming you're old enough to use that feature) or to post on the official boards? That's ridiculous, IMO.

I think Wizard101 is a great game and lots of fun. I would subscribe for my entire family, even with the game play issues above, if the price point were better or if there was a discounted family plan. Without pricing changes, however, I won't. King's Isle could get some money out of me, but now they'll get none...

Wispur said on 5:49PM 9-02-2008

Thanks to Massively for introducing this game to me. It's a fun little time killer. =)

James said on 5:03PM 9-03-2008

Perfect World International also went live September 2nd.

Kwazimot said on 3:36PM 9-23-2008

@ Ripper McGee, you said you might pay $25-30/month for your family of five to play. Currently a 12-month subscription is just $60, or $5 per month. So for $300 your whole family can, quite literally, play the game for just $25/month.

I would agree with you re: grouping & combat. When I run around with my 8 y/old son we have to "jump into" each other's battles. Being able to group would be very advantageous to us, likewise players fleeing a battle should despawn the monster they brought in with them, or another monster if "their monster" has already been killed.

W101 is no WoW, but it's good enough and cheap enough that I willingly let my WoW subscription lapse this past week, and instead bought two 12-month subs to W101.