“The Core Testers currently in the Beta are the very first outside people to play the game, and we are thrilled at what they’ve had to say,” said Richard Zinser, Vice President of Game Services for Perpetual Entertainment. “Their positive feedback on playability and balance has confirmed that we’re on the right path to making Gods & Heroes the best game possible at launch.”

Additional Core Testers will be added to this first stage of Closed Beta on October 6th, 2006. Members of the Gods & Heroes community can apply for the Core Tester program by emailing claunius@perpetual.com with one paragraph (250 words or less) explaining their qualifications as a Core Tester. Emails should include the applicant’s real name, account name, persona, and email address. Beta applications must be submitted by October 6rd, 2006 at midnight PST to qualify for the first stage.

“After the years of development and months of internal testing, we are eagerly anticipating the expansion of the Closed Beta in coming months as we begin to open the game up to the community,” said Chris McKibbin, President of Perpetual Entertainment.

Featuring epic God Powers, intense squad-based combat, and creatures drawn from the myths and legends of the ancient world, Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising is among the most highly anticipated of next-generation massively multiplayer games. Gods & Heroes was awarded Best of Show at E3 2006 by Ten Ton Hammer, Allakhazam, and MMORPG.com, and Best Gameplay of Show by both Stratics and GameAmp. It currently is featured as a cover story on Play magazine.

For more information on applying for the Closed Beta, please visit http://community.godsandheroes.com.