"Our November 1st release date is firm," says Alan Chipura, Lead Game Designer. "The many suggestions provided by our avid and loyal Beta testers were so valuable that we absolutely had to incorporate them, even though it caused a slight delay in the launch date to November 1st."

At launch, Irth Online will be priced at $29.95 and the monthly subscription fee will be $13.95. Discounted pricing will be available in a Pre-Launch Special Offer to be announced in a few days.

Irth Online will only be available for purchase online. "Two years ago, in the early stages of development, we made the decision to distribute exclusively online and haven"t pursued any publishing deals," says Mr. Chipura. "It made more economic sense for us to self-publish."

Although no retail boxes are being produced for sale in retail stores, players who also want the game on disc may purchase Irth Online on DVD or CD-ROM for an additional $9.95 plus applicable shipping fees. Orders may be placed at www.irthonline.com and will be fulfilled immediately after the game is released.

Irth Online's virtual world is populated by three distinct PvP civilizations -- The Arcadians in the snowy north, The Morbus in the southeastern swamps, and The Mezoteks in the tropical southwest, which have a thousand-year history of battling to capture the resources of the others to ensure survival. This persistent state of war inspired peace-loving pilgrims from all three civilizations to form their own civilization, and this fourth civilization in Irth Online is non-PvP, and survives via commerce in lieu of combat. Players join Irth"s history at a period when a fragile truce exists, and will determine the
course of history of each civilization.

Gamers are encouraged to visit the official Irth Online website to get all the latest news updates and game details.