It's been an interesting year for us at EA Mythic, a year filled with new challenges, new opportunities and of course, a year filled with WAR! We have watched Warhammer Online become one of the most highly anticipated MMORPGs in the world as it garners praise from the press, earns kudos from the community and receives enthusiastic support from our partners and friends at Games Workshop. I’m happy to say that the task of bringing WAR to life is going well here at EA Mythic. However, we have important news to share and as always, we want you, the WAR community, to be the first to know.

We have made the decision to move our ship date for the US and Europe to the first quarter of 2008. (Release dates for Asia will be announced at a later date.) Since our acquisition by EA, we have been afforded many wonderful development opportunities and we plan to take full advantage of everything that is available. This includes taking several additional months to make the best MMORPG possible.

At this time we have completed most of the work on our first racial pairing – Dwarfs and Greenskins – and the team is now building Empire and Chaos. These new zones really kick butt and the team did a fantastic job of incorporating the feel of war and Warhammer into these areas. This racial pairing is the embodiment of all that I hoped for when we made the decision to partner with GW.

However, when we looked back at our work on the Dwarf and Greenskin pairing, we could not say the same thing. While these areas were good, they were not great and glorious. We have always said that WAR was going to be great and we will not settle for anything less. So the team has gone back to our initial pairing and conducted an intense review of their work. They have implemented new ideas and applied all that they have learned over the past nine months. What has already emerged from this dedicated time of focused polish is nothing short of spectacular. In the Dwarf and Greenskin zones there is now more war, more Warhammer, and more of what makes WAR great.

By extending our development time, we’ll be able to do these in-depth reviews several times prior to launch to ensure all areas of WAR benefit from the experience of ongoing development. EA is totally supportive of our decision and are behind us 100%. We all believe WAR will be the next great MMORPG and being part of EA affords us the time we need to make it so. It is EA’s ongoing commitment to quality that will allow us, and other EA studios, to deliver great games, now and in the future.

This change to our ship date is probably not the news you were hoping to hear. In the end, we’ll be able to reward your patience with a truly next-generation MMORPG that will make GW proud, all of us at EA thrilled and most importantly, you, the players, as happy as a Black Orc in battle. We only get one chance at a successful launch, and we plan to catapult this one over the walls of Altdorf.

WAR is coming!

Mark Jacobs
GM, EA Mythic
April 25, 2007

“My name? Long ago, such worthless details fell from memory. I know only the lust for glorious battle - for blood, for victory! I seek only the Eye of Tzeentch - his favour, his grace, his Dark Gifts - that through them, I may be remade - reborn! Why do we raid your lands? Why do we burn your homes? Why do we flay your flesh? To serve the Lord of Change and his magnificent designs.” - An unknown Chosen of Tzeentch

Read more about the Chosen >>

Learn More about the Armies of WAR >>

It’s what you’ve all been waiting for, if our inboxes are any indication. We are excited to announce the opening of the Warhammer Online Guild Beta Application page!

Are you passionate? Are you ready for WAR? Are you prepared to play in a version of the Warhammer world that needs your help to be the best that it can be?

Then talk amongst yourselves, choose your leaders, and wish them the best as they fill out your guild’s application by the May 4th deadline. We’ll post the chosen guilds in the June newsletter. Filling out this application does not guarantee a spot in the beta. Instead, we’re going to use the applications to choose a wide range of guilds. From the biggest armies to the closest clans, from the all-night raiders to the once-a-weekers, we are looking for the most passionate guilds on the internet to help us test and refine WAR.

This application is for guild participation only. We’ll have more information about the WAR Beta and general sign-ups in next month’s newsletter.

Good luck to all who apply!

Earlier this month, it was officially announced that EA will be bringing Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning to Asia. This is exciting news as it represents another step forward towards reaching our goal of bringing WAR to the world! Read the press release here.

We are also pleased to announce that the official WAR website is now available in Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and Japanese. Click a button below to visit one of these new sites.

This month we profile the plague ridden land of Talabecland.

The Grand Duchy of Talabecland lies at the center of the Empire and borders upon more Grand Provinces than any other. Talabecland's dominant features include the rivers Stir and Talabec, and the Great Forest. Much of the province's trade flows along these rivers, and north and south along the Great Forest Road. When times are relatively tranquil, the province is a thriving center of commerce and the many coaching inns that line the roads of Talabecland are typically filled to capacity with merchants and tradesmen of all kinds. In the Age of Reckoning, however, Talabecland is anything but tranquil.

Because their homeland lies between Ostland and Reikland, the folk of Talabecland find themselves directly in the path of the invading Chaos Warhost. They are ill-prepared to deal with such a threat, for the plague has taken a heavy toll in the province. Throughout the countryside, towns and villages have been emptied as the peasants flee to the mountains for shelter. The provincial militia has been crippled by the plague, its numbers reduced nearly by half. It seems Talabecland will be easy pickings for the barbaric Northmen.

Read More About the Talabecland >>

Each month, we go behind-the-scenes with Senior Designer, Josh Drescher, for an insiders look at the development of WAR.

In this month's Production Podcast, we follow the process of creating the Chaos Chosen from concept to finished in-game model. You are with us every step of the way as we reveal the messy secrets behind the initial brainstorming sessions and discuss the intricacies of modeling and texturing. Plus, witness never-before-seen footage of our first Chaos RvR tests.

Join Creative Director, Paul Barnett, and his trusty video phone for a truly unique look at the making of WAR. Check out this month’s videos to get a sneak peak of the new Dwarf starter area, watch Magus Disk tricks, meet Paul’s brother, take a crude look at voice over work, and meet a few visitors from afar.

View the Video Blog >>

The 2007 Road Show is under way and we are bringing WAR to a town near you! Visit our booth and be one of the first to play the NEW Empire and Chaos starter zones. You’ll also get the chance to go head-to-head with other attendees in one of our new RvR Scenarios. Plus, meet members of the team and walk off with cool giveaways.

Upcoming Shows

Fan art submissions are coming in on a regular basis, and we thought we’d share this month’s favorites. Keep the artwork coming!

Sign of WAR By David "Fahran" Mills
Female Zealot By Nextrodaet	Dwarf Warrior By Leonel

Visit the Fan Art Gallery >>

Feeling creative? Send us your WAR-inspired art. We will choose the best entries and feature them in upcoming newsletters and on our website. Note to aspiring artists: Color submissions will usually get more love than ones done in pencil!

Submit your artwork >>

Welcome to the WAR Grab Bag, where our friendly neighborhood community manager answers the most pressing, the most popular, and the most interesting questions from fans. Keep those questions coming, as we’re eager to hear what you have to say!

Check out this month’s Grab Bag >>

The WAR beta test is still a long way off, but now is your chance to secure a spot for when it does go live. Each month we'll randomly select 5 names from the newsletter subscriber database for entry into the beta test.* If you have already created and confirmed a Warhammer newsletter account, then you're automatically entered into the drawing every month. If you haven't set up a password protected account yet, click here to register.

This month decorate your desktop with wallpapers and buddy icons inspired by symbols of Warhammer and a dedicated fan’s talent.