Developed by Spellborn International, The Chronicles of Spellborn will introduce gameplay that challenges MMO gaming conventions. No longer will back stories be irrelevant, players will move back and forth in time to experience the storyline. The Spellborn team has thrown out the old "auto lock" MMO attack system. Players will actively maneuver and aim in combat while they manipulate a "skill deck" that allows them to string together hundreds of different possible attack combinations. Also, armour and weapons do NOT affect combat so players can dress exactly how they like from the very start. Finally, the successes and failures of every player from the lowest to the highest levels will determine the fate of their House and the rest of the world.

The year 2009 for The Chronicles of Spellborn can be summed up in a few words in fact: more fun, more content, and… more content!

The main goal is to provide content and features that will support the best replayability of The Chronicles of Spellborn while making sure that everything can be enjoyed to its fullest.

Over the past weeks and month, we have been closely monitoring the feedback from the community of players and have already been taking actions to make sure that the game experience is as perfect as possible.

A month after release, the first December content patch was shipped with bug fixes and content implementation, with hot-fixes in-between to take care of the urgent issues.

One thing is already sure: we will keep on updating the game as often and regularly as needed.

With regards to short term planning, a new content patch is going to be rolled out soon (we expect it for end of January), which, among many quests and bug fixes, will also introduce new unique outdoor monsters (called Menaces, from which you might already know the cuddly “Tiny Tyke”). In the coming week, we’ll reveal some of these new Menaces on our website.

But the biggest chunk of this patch is undoubtedly the upcoming “Tutorial”. After reading the various comments from the community, and also from the various press reviews about Spellborn, we decided it was needed to implement a tutorial explaining basic movements, camera control, NPC interactions and combat controls in a dedicated area of the game, before players set foot on Hawksmouth Square. With this new system, we aim to provide all the tools to newcomers to have a great first-time experience which will motivate them and allow them to play the game further with greater enjoyment.

Also, we will invite you, the players, to experience the new instance in the Deadspell Storm called Exarchyon. This massive dungeon will take the players inside the raftyard-based headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Glaive, a hostile faction where many encounters and challenges await. The instance is aimed at players of Fame Level 20 to 25.

Concerning the mid-term planning for 2009: we will be working on two main features that you have been waiting quite some time for, and by two features, I mean, the Market, where you can trade your goods and items with other players, and, for PvP-aficionados, the possibility to sign up for Unranked 2v2 or 4v4 Arena matches. Ranked matches will eventually also find their way to the game, but will be introduced at a later date. After rankings have been added we’ll continue to add more Arena features depending on how you, the players, experience it. Of course, many other additions besides these two features will find their way into the game mid-term wise, but these are simply the focus-point for now.

As for the long-term planning of 2009, we would like to implement elements that would strengthen the feeling of belonging to the Spellborn world by, for example, allowing Guild Alliances. We are still finalizing the concepts for some elements of the feature which we want to implement at some future point in the year, so for now, hold your horses. Talking about horses, or rather, any potential mounts, they are also a feature that we will be working on. You know how much we want our world to be coherent in terms of immersion so who knows what mounts will be like…

To conclude this Project Update, rest assured that even more content will be implemented to the game over the course of the year, parallel to the features I just explained, ranging from new quests and new instances to new zones and even more. Yes, there is a lot coming up, guys! So stay tuned and logged in!

With The Chronicles of Spellborn players enter into an impressive online scenario with scenic landscapes, majestic cities and the remnants of an ancient civilization. Alone or with a party of allies, PC adventurers step into a huge fantasy realm consisting of varied shard worlds floating in the magic Deadspell Storm. Those who want to prevail in the grippingly staged combats of The Chronicles of Spellborn need to apply their mighty arsenal of spells, melee and ranged attacks skillfully. Battles with bloodthirsty creatures, hostile peoples and human opponents in PvP battles are waiting. An innovative and tactically challenging combat system with shooter-like controls and rotating skill deck provides a fresh breath of air for the dusty MMORPG genre. Thanks to the largely extended Unreal Engine 2.5, The Chronicles of Spellborn boasts stunning 3D graphics, spectacular effects and countless elaborate details.

What differentiates ‘The Chronicles of Spellborn’ from other MMORPG?

• Dress to impress: From day 1 you will be able to look cool by choosing and changing clothes, armors, weapons, skills.
• Influencing the world with your actions: This ranges from lifelike statues of your character in Quarterstone to unlocking and owning new parts of the worlds through questing, politics and conquest.
• ‘Join and play’, you don’t have to walk whole marathons before the fun starts.
• ‘The Chronicles of Spellborn’ combat system based on skill decks. You will be able to create your own individual fighting style.

As with all of Acclaim’s games, Spellborn will be free to download and play once players have registered for an account. But those players who want to access advanced features and unlock extra game content will have the option to purchase a premium service that will offer several payment options.

The German, English and French versions of The Chronicles of Spellborn are scheduled for release on November 27th, 2008 in Europe. With additional testing and ongoing game improvements, Acclaim's North American release schedule has been updated with Closed Beta testing to begin on November 27 and a new release date scheduled for January 2009.