March 12, 2009
Wizard101 Finds Its Voice
KingsIsle adds voiceover, shared
item banks for players
Online entertainment company
KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the first two worlds in
Wizard101, which recently surpassed its one millionth player, will soon feature
voiceovers in all quests, cinematics, and boss encounters. Wizard City and
Krokotopia voiceovers will be implemented on March 16, with Marleybone, Moo Shu,
and Dragonspyre to follow.
"The voiceovers add an amazing
amount of personality and richness to the world" said J. Todd Coleman, director
of Wizard101. "In particular, the seasoned voice of Merle Ambrose is very
entertaining and in line with our vision for the Headmaster of Ravenwood."
Additionally, players will be able
to share in-game items they collect between all the characters on their account.
Items can be stored in the player’s dorm room and used by any characters the
player has created. Each account may create up to six characters. "When a boss
drops a really cool item after a battle that is meant for a different School of
Magic, players can now share it with another character that can use it,"
explained Coleman.
Wizard City will be wearing green in
celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, with special wands, staves, and a unique pet
available from Pat O’Gold in the Shopping District.
Wizard101 has received high praise
for its wide appeal. Dragonspyre, the recently-launched first major world
expansion, continues the storyline in an ancient haunted world where players
face challenging new battles and ultimately discover the truth about renegade
Death Magic professor Malistaire Drake’s sinister plans. Several Player vs.
Player Arenas were also added where players can challenge each other in either
Practice or Ranked duels, with up to four Wizards per team.
Wizard101’sfamily-friendly safety
features include a collaborative play style, a chat system with many options and
a character name selector. The game was awarded a 2008 Parent Tested Parent
Approved Media Seal of Approval and has an ESRB rating of E10+.
Anyone with a Windows based PC (that
meets the game’s minimum specifications) and a high speed internet connection
can play the Free-to-Play areas of Wizard101 indefinitely. KingsIsle lets
players choose subscription or microtransaction methods for premium content.
Family plan subscriptions are $6.95 per month and general subscriptions are
$9.95. Micropayment zones give permanent access to particular streets or areas
within the game for as little as a $1.
