Ryzom: Saga of Ryzom to Launch in September

Paris, France - May 28, 2004 - Online game and software development company Nevrax today announced that The Saga of Ryzom, its graphically stunning multi-genre massively multiplayer online role-playing game, would be launching in September of this year.

In a letter sent out to the Ryzom playerbase, CEO David Cohen explained that the launch was originally slated for June, but was being rescheduled to give players a better experience:

The Saga of Ryzom went into Open Beta this April with an internal target to launch in June 2004... While we were on schedule for our launch date, over the course of testing, we determined that The Saga of Ryzom would be a more fun and enjoyable experience for its players if we put a few more months of development and testing into the game prior to launch.

In the past, due to financial and marketing reasons, many online games have shipped when they would actually have been better off staying in development for a few more months. Fortunately, we here at Nevrax are supported by visionary investors and trusted partners who are enabling us take the right steps for our game. Therefore, we have decided to reschedule Ryzom's launch until September.

In conjunction with the delay of the launch, Nevrax will be closing the Ryzom beta on June 7 in favor of further development and focused testing. Those who have been enjoying the Ryzom beta will be able to stay involved, however. "We anticipate running several weekend events over the next three months that will let you re-visit Ryzom and assess its progress, and before release, we will invite everyone back for the Final Beta stage," notes Cohen.

The decision to launch Ryzom in September rather than June comes with the full support of Nevrax's local partners - Themis Group in North America, Jolt Online Entertainment in UK and English-speaking Europe, and MDO Entertainment in France and Germany. The three companies will be providing managed testing and quality assurance throughout the summer, ensuring that The Saga of Ryzom is as stable and bug-free as possible for its launch.

About the Saga of Ryzom
Explore and adventure with thousands of others from around the world in a new land where you can truly carve out a name for yourself. The Saga of Ryzom lets you:

[li]Engage hordes of enemies in epic invasions driven by the RAID (Real-Time Army Invasion Deployment) Engine
[li]Build a truly unique character using flexible skill-based advancement systems
[li]Create your own customized special attacks and spells using the Modular Action System
[li]Construct, customize, and enchant items to create unique powerful equipment for your character
[li]Meet strangers, make friends, and form your own guild, then reap incredible rewards by taking on dangerous missions as a cohesive unit
[li]Gain fame through your adventures and become a known Hero of the land
[li]Unlock the lost history of your civilization and shape the course of the saga
[li]And Much More ...

About Nevrax Ltd
Founded in early 2000, Paris based NEVRAX is an online game and software development company that specializes in MMORPG engine and production tool technologies and products. Utilizing NeL, its open source platform, Nevrax's team of 50+ engineers and designers are nearing the completion of their first MMORPG, a Science Fantasy game entitled, "The Saga of Ryzom". For further information, go to www.nevrax.com.

Dear Homins,

The Saga of Ryzom went into Open Beta this April with an internal target to launch in June 2004. Since Open Beta began, we have implemented many of the features planned for release and added three of the four lands and races to the game. During this same time, you, our testers, have enabled us to find and fix dozen of minor and major bugs in the game. While we were on schedule for our launch date, over the course of testing, we determined that The Saga of Ryzom would be a more fun and enjoyable experience for its players if we put a few more months of development and testing into the game prior to launch.

In the past, due to financial and marketing reasons, many online games have shipped when they would actually have been better off staying in development for a few more months. Fortunately, we here at Nevrax are supported by visionary investors and trusted partners who are enabling us take the right steps for our game. Therefore, we have decided to reschedule Ryzom's launch until September.

We plan to use the next 3 months to continue developing the game, squash bugs, and add content. In conjunction with the rescheduling, we will be closing the beta on June 7 and running focused testing and internal QA.

All of us at Nevrax would like to thank you for all of the time and effort you have put into playing our game, and helping us improve it. Many bugs were discovered and squashed, and many changes that we hadn't thought of making were suggested by you, and implemented. It's been a productive collaboration, and we are all very grateful. Now it is time for us to re-focus our efforts and ensure that game reaches its potential.

During the next few months we will be publishing regular updates to the game, and detailing them on the site, so you can all keep abreast of all the ongoing changes to Ryzom. We are very much devoted to delivering a product worthy of the supportive community that has already grown around it, and we hope that you will be patient with us while we continue to work on the game. We anticipate running several weekend events over the next three months that will let you re-visit Ryzom and assess its progress, and before release, we will invite everyone back for the Final Beta stage. We look forward to seeing you again when you revisit the Saga of Ryzom!

Sincerely,

David Cohen-Corval
CEO, Nevrax
Lead Designer, Saga of Ryzom