Wizard101 celebrates one year of service and five millionth player milestones

 Wizard101, the magic-themed Massively Multi-player Online game from KingsIsle Entertainment, celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. KingsIsle Entertainment says that since its launch a year ago the game has garnered five million registered players worldwide. That’s a pretty impressive number for a game and a company that isn’t necessarily considered brand name. It probably didn’t hurt that KingsIsle has been doing targeted marketing for the game on some of the most popular children’s television networks including Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network since its launch. It also doesn’t hurt that the game doesn’t suck and is fun to play for both kids and adults.

As part of its one year celebration, several decorations are being added to the game this month as well as a special surprise for all players to be revealed at a later date. Wizard101 combines collectible trading card game-based combat with the social interaction of an online multiplayer game and a parental control system that allows adults to restrict communications options for younger players, while allowing more freedom to older players.

You can learn more about the game by visiting www.Wizard101.com.

1 Million Battlefield Heroes players

Electronic Arts announced that Battlefield Heroes has already recruited one million players to sign up for the game since its launch. Developed by wholly-owned studios DICE, Battlefield Heroes is a free to play third-person shooter based on the popular Battlefield series of action games.

The web-based game features gameplay that satisfies both hardcore and casual players by offering easy to understand controls and a matchmaking service that puts players against other players of similar skills. Players can now quickly download and easily launch the game from www.battlefieldheroes.com..

Like id Software’s free to play Quake Live game, Battlefield Heroes goes out of its way to cater to and match up players so that playing is simple, fair and fun. Unlike Quake Live, Battlefield Heroes features a class-based system so players can create and use a hero that best suits their style. Character customization items are available for Valor Points (points earned by playing the game) or with Battlefunds (a fictional currency bought with a credit card or PayPal) so players can update or change their hero’s style at any time.

Battlefield Heroes is rated “T” by the ESRB and “16+” by PEGI and is playable now from the web site listed above.

BioWare Passes 4 Millionth User Mark

BioWare announced today that its community is 4 million registered users strong. Its registered fan community is now over four million user accounts strong, with an average of 38,000 new accounts being created every month. It’s no surprise that fans continue to flock to the company’s official sites and community hang-outs if you consider just how many great games the company is responsible for like Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Knight of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and most recently Mass Effect.

The company’s Austin studio is working on BioWare’s first MMO title, while on the home front the company is working on a Sonic RPG handheld game and its next big role-playing game Dragon Age.

“It’s great to be able to talk directly with our fans – this is a cornerstone of BioWare’s success, past, present and future,” said Ray Muzyka, BioWare CEO and co-founder, and EA General Manager and Vice President. “We are proud to have created such a comfortable environment for BioWare’s millions of fans from all over the world - and we truly value their feedback.”

you can check out the community site by visiting forums.bioware.com.