Rift Goes Live, Launch Trailer Released

Trion Worlds just fired over a press release with the expected announcement that Rift, the fantasy MMORPG that originally began under Jon Van Caneghem's direction before being subjected to a name change and a lawsuit, has officially launched in North America. Australians will gain access to the game tomorrow, pan-Europeans will get their hands on it on Thursday, and those of you in the UK will have to wait until Friday. We'll kick things off with the new "This is Rift" launch trailer:



And then the press release:
ENTER THE RIFTâ„¢ NOW

The first massively multiplayer online game from Trion Worlds is available worldwide this week

Redwood City, Calif. March 1, 2011 Trion Worlds announced today that Riftâ„¢, the hotly anticipated massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), and the publisher's first product offering, has launched. Rift is now on sale at select North American retail and digital outlets, and will be available in Australia on Wednesday, March 2nd, pan-European countries on Thursday, March 3rd, and in the UK on Friday, March 4th.

(Rift offers the most exciting, most social, most dynamic online gameplay today,) said Lars Buttler, CEO of Trion Worlds. (Our amazing development team has created an incredibly polished and complete MMORPG that carefully builds upon and then improves winning features that gamers love. Those features are then topped off with unprecedented freedom of choice and epic social events in an ever-evolving world of dynamic conflict.)

In Rift, the world of Telara is under siege from eight primal forces after the magical ward protecting the planet shatters. Joining either the technomagical Defiant or divinely-appointed Guardians, players assume the role of an Ascended hero brought back from the dead to fight the planar invaders and save Telara. Featuring an innovative class-building system, massive dynamic battles in an ever-changing world, and incredible social gameplay, Rift enters the online gaming arena as the new gold-standard in MMORPGs.

Available for Windows® XP, Windows® Vista, or Windows® 7, the Standard Edition, Digital Collector's Edition, and Retail Collector's Edition of the game sell for $49.99, $59.99 and $79.99 USD, respectively. Rift is also available as a digital download at www.riftgame.com/buynow.

The standard monthly subscription rate for the game will be $14.99 USD. Trion is also offering a limited-time (Founder's Pricing) plan, featuring a $9.99 USD per month price for a multi-month subscription. For more information on Founder's Pricing and subscription details, visit http://www.RIFTgame.com/subscriptions.

For more information on Rift, please visit www.RIFTgame.com.

About Rift
Adventure in the world of Telara as either a noble Guardian or technomagical Defiant and enter a dynamic fantasy where 8 primal forces battle for control in an ever-changing landscape. Build your own class using the Ascended Soul system, embark on epic conflicts that bring you into the story, battle others in exhilarating Player versus Player combat, achieve new heights of power by tackling epic raids, and so much more!

About Trion Worlds
Trion Worlds is the premier publisher and developer of connected video games. With groundbreaking new server platform capabilities, Trion delivers high-quality, fully dynamic, and massively social content across video game genres, gaming platforms, and mass-market entertainment formats. Headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., with development and technology studios in San Diego, Calif., and Austin, Texas, Trion is redefining interactive entertainment in the connected era.