Guild Wars 2 sets record-breaking sales for Western Massively Multiplayer Online games.

In a press release sent out this morning, ArenaNet and DFC Intelligence, a strategic market research and consulting firm focused on interactive entertainment, announced that Guild Wars 2 is the all-time fastest selling MMORPG in North America and Europe. This announcement is based on the game selling more than 3 million copies in the first nine months within the two markets.

Analyst David Cole of DFC Intelligence added that these record-breaking sales will put the game in "an impressive position when they release in China, where we've seen similar franchises really take off." Guild Wars 2 is expected to grow rapidly once it releases in China where the player-base has the potential to grow even larger than the record-breaking sales in the West. For the China release of Guild Wars 2, ArenaNet has partnered with KongZhong Corporation, a leading Chinese provider of digital entertainment services.

Along with this announcement, ArenaNet has announced a free trial for players to experience Guild Wars 2. New players can create an account starting today by registering at http://register.guildwars2.com/trial. Once an account is created they may download the client in preparation for the free trial that lasts from Friday, Aug. 23 (12:01 am PDT) through Sunday, Aug 25 (11:59 pm PDT). This free trial weekend will take place over the last weekend before GW2's one-year anniversary on Aug 28.

Matt "Mattsta" Adams

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