Guild Wars 2 release date announced

Sharp intake of breath - the Guild Wars 2 release date has been announced! It's 28th August 2012, NCsoft has bellowed.

That's a Tuesday. And that's a simultaneous US and European launch.

NCsoft also revealed dates for the final Beta Weekend Event: 20th to 22nd July. Anyone who's pre-purchased the game can join in.

Mike O'Brien, co-founder and leader of Guild Wars 2 developer ArenaNet, wrote a blog post to announce the news.

"This is an incredibly momentous day for the studio and for me personally," he shared. "This journey began in 2007, when we first announced that we were beginning work on Guild Wars 2 and that you wouldn't be hearing from us for a while.

"Then in 2010 we unveiled our manifesto for Guild Wars 2: a living breathing online world that challenges convention, that's designed for fun instead of grind, and that brings social interaction to a new level in an online world."

"Through all the long hours and hard decisions, we were bolstered by the knowledge that we were not in this alone. All along you've been there for us, cheering us on, supporting us when we needed it, testing early versions of the game, and above all, giving us your honest feedback every step of the way."

"Guild Wars 2 is a better game for all of the work that our community has put in."

The remaining time will be spent "optimising, polishing and balancing the game", said O'Brien.

"These are exciting times," he added. "We're on the cusp of a new era in online roleplaying games, and we're glad you're on this journey with us."

The new, short Guild Wars 2 video shows varied clips of gameplay timed to drum beats. The pace of the beats increases and builds to a climax - the date.

Eurogamer flew over to ArenaNet earlier this year to spend a weekend with the people who are making Guild Wars 2. Their efforts and their accomplishments are shared in our juicy Guild Wars 2: The Inside Stories report.