Twilight Forge Module Now Available For D&D Online

[GameBanshee News]

The full press release:

TURBINE SHIPS NEW CONTENT AND FEATURES FOR DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™: STORMREACH™

The Twilight Forge Module Adds Drow Race And A New Raid To Hit MMOG

WESTWOOD, MA – July 12, 2006 – Turbine, Inc. announced today the release of a second content module for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™: Stormreach™ (DDO), the hit game that has quickly become one of the fastest-growing MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games) in North America. The Twilight Forge module, the second in a series of modules to be released by Turbine, features a new story module consisting of a series of adventures culminating in an epic encounter against a legendary foe – the Warforged Titan. The Twilight Forge also includes several new features designed to improve game play. Turbine will offer the Twilight Forge module free of charge for all current DDO subscribers as part of its commitment to continue to grow the game for its legions of fans. DDO is based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® brand franchise from Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS).

Following on the launch of solo game play in June, the Twilight Forge module offers a host of features, including the introduction of the drow as another playable race, content for players of all levels, enhanced grouping tools to improve the player experience, an in-game mail system, an adventurer’s compendium to track completed quests, a “favor” system to track a player’s standing in the world, additional inventory slots and bank slots, and a plethora of new items, benefits and monsters. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is under license from the Hasbro Properties Group, the intellectual property development arm of Hasbro.

“The Twilight Forge module introduces a tremendous amount of new content to DDO – the drow, new dungeons and enhanced tools to improve the overall player experience,” said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. “With the launch of this module, we have increased the size of DDO by over 25 percent since launch and added many innovative features.”

In addition to the ability to create characters based on the drow, also known as the dark elf, players can expect to encounter new monsters from the D&D® universe, including the Mindflayer, Ogre Magi, and Warforged Titan. The player experience has been updated by including an improved user interface with tools that make grouping easier and the introduction of a new in-game mail system that allows the delivery of items and messages between other players regardless of their online status. Finally, the Twilight Forge module includes a new award system that gives players bonuses for completing dungeons on all difficulty levels.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE: Stormreach recreates the essence of the classic pen-and-paper roleplaying experience - with an emphasis on non-grinding, instanced quests that provide a unique, immersive experience for each party. Authentic features in the game include customizable characters; dungeons filled with devious traps; monsters and stories from the Eberron® campaign setting; an on-screen d20 (20-sided die) and a dungeon master. The unique online world of Stormreach™ is a bustling city with thousands of players from around the world. It represents a new paradigm for the MMO genre with unique features including party-based quests, integrated voice chat, real-time action combat, and award winning graphics.

Published by Atari, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATAR) in February, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™ has been enthusiastically received by many gaming critics, including The New York Times, PC Gamer, Game Informer and many more. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE: Stormreach is currently available in retail stores for $49.99. Additional information can be found at www.ddo.com.

About Turbine

Turbine, Inc. is a premier developer, publisher and operator of online subscription entertainment and is headquartered in Westwood, Massachusetts. The company is one of the largest privately-held online games companies in North America. Turbine’s catalogue includes some of the most famous online entertainment brands, including Asheron’s Call®, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™: Stormreach™, and The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™. For more information on Turbine and its services, please visit www.turbine.com.

About Atari

New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software in the U.S. The Company’s 1,000+ titles include hard-core, genre-defining franchises such as DRIVER™, The Matrix™ (Enter The Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo), and Test Drive®; and mass-market and children’s franchises such as Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues™ and Dora the Explorer™, and Dragon Ball Z®. Atari, Inc. is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames Entertainment SA (Euronext – ISIN: FR-0000052573), the largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more information, visit www.atari.com.

About The HASBRO PROPERTIES GROUP

The Hasbro Properties Group (HPG), the intellectual property development arm of Hasbro, Inc., (NYSE:HAS), translates one of the industry’s richest portfolios of brands into a world of fun and excitement for children and adults globally. Through a host of publishing, digital media, lifestyle and entertainment platforms, HPG is able to surround fans worldwide with consumer products that expand Hasbro’s core brands, such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY, G.I. JOE, TONKA and PLAYSKOOL.