It's an exciting time to be a Chronicles of Spellborn player. Not only was the game was released this month in Germany, France and Benelux, but Acclaim plans to release it in the U.S. in January. And to top it off, the first content patch is going live this week!

The first content patch of The Chronicles of Spellborn, Patch 1.0.1, is planned to be rolled out to the live servers later this week on Thursday 18th of December, and besides bug fixes, it also contains new and improved content for players to have fun with. Each day until the patch is shipped, we will reveal some of its content, and today, let's start off with the new Hoods!

You can check out the new hoods here. Keep visiting the Chronicles of Spellborn Web site for more sneak peeks of Patch 1.0.1.

Acclaim has updated its release schedule for The Chronicles of Spellborn. The North American version will now be released in January 2009 with closed beta starting Nov. 27. European countries will be going live Nov. 27.

Both launches will have the exact same product versions featuring identical Freemium models but with a different release date to accommodate additional testing for a smooth official release.

With the "freemium" model, players can play for free in the starting zones, but must purchase a premium subscription currently priced at $15 per month to open all game content. The full press release can be found here or below.

Also, sign-up for the closed beta has ended and the non-disclosure agreement has officially been dropped today.

Acclaim Games has announced a partnership with TrialPay, and will be giving away Acclaim Coins with purchase or trials of offers

Acclaim Games is tking its free-to-play online gaming model one step further today by partnering with TrialPay to give away its virtual currency-Acclaim Coins-for free. With Acclaim Coins, players can buy virtual items such as laser guns and swords to enhance their favorite online games.

Using TrialPay, players get Acclaim Coins for free by trying or buying an offer from blue-chip advertisers. Now, even players facing gaming budget restrictions can get more by earning Acclaim Coins when they buy clothes, send flowers or choose from hundreds of other TrialPay offers. Through this partnership, Acclaim Games gains loyal customers and players get new upgrades for free. With TrialPay, everyone wins!

"We're excited to make our special features more accessible to players," said Howard Marks, CEO of Acclaim Games. "Our new partnership with TrialPay allows more players the opportunity to customize their characters and use new features at no additional cost."