Goodbye, The Chronicles of Spellborn!

Farewell, The Chronicles of Spellborn! While there were many who weren't aware of you, it's quite sad to see an MMO's doors close down for an indefinite amount of time, especially when that downward spiral takes its time before hitting the bottom. For those of you who don't know, The Chronicles Spellborn was a post-apocalyptic fantasy MMORPG known for its free-targeting combat system and impressive graphics for a free-to-play MMORPG. Ultimately, however, due to a myriad of technical and support problems, alongside Acclaim Games' acquisition by Playdom, this fledgling MMORPG would not even live to see two years before being shut down.

Here's to hoping that players who have lost their MMO communities in The Chronicles of Spellborn will be able to find better, more stable MMORPGs in the future!

Acclaim CEO: Spellborn Version Two is Coming

Back in August 2009, The Chronicles of Spellborn became free-to-play so Acclaim could move forward with plans to re-develop the game. The Acclaim team recently posted an update on the official forums, and it looks like "Spellborn Version Two" is on its way. Here are the details straight from CEO Howard Marks:

"The developer has released the new version in Japan, and based on the success of that launch and the fine tuning of the game, we will keep you informed as to when we shall launch the English version of the game. When we do, we will be inviting registered players of the old version, who have valid email addresses on file, to become our beta players."

The free-to-play version of the game is still up and running, so check it out while we wait for more concrete information regarding Acclaim's launch plans for the new Chronicles of Spellborn.

Spellborn Now Free-to-Play While in Re-Development

Acclaim announced in the beginning of July that re-development plans for The Chronicles of Spellborn would carry into 2010, at which point the game would become free-to-play. Well, it looks like part of that timetable has been pushed up, because Spellborn is free-to-play now.

Community Manager David DeWald explained in a recent post on the game's official forums that there will be no upgrades or patches to Spellborn during the re-development phase. "It has become in effect, an Action RPG with superior Multiplayer. The only thing it will cost you to play is the time it takes to download," he said.

DeWald said the team will help support players who would like to run their own events, and they're open to suggestions on how to make the "frozen in time" version more enjoyable while we wait for the new free-to-play version to launch.

Chronicles of Spellborn Going F2P in 2010

The Chronicles of Spellborn was officially released only a little more than two months ago, but it seems Acclaim already feels changes are needed. According to a press release that was recently posted in the game's official forums, re-development of the MMO is planned to "carry into 2010 and will include several enhancements and changes to the current game." Once these changes have been implemented, Chronicles of Spellborn will become free-to-play, along with the addition of the customary micro-transaction support system.

The game's re-development is a joint venture between Spellborn NV and Frogster Asia Co. Ltd, a Korean developer that focuses on F2P games. For those curious what this means for the MMO in the interim, the release states "players who are currently playing the game will be able to continue playing the game in its current form via the subscription service. At the point where the new version is released, any unused subscriptions will be credited to their accounts." You can read the full announcement below.

Scroll 5 will Include Redesigned Starting Area

The Chronicles of Spellborn team has acknowledged in a post on the game's official Web site that "the way we introduce people to our world is, simply put, not good at all" as far as the starting area is concerned. Basically, the team knows the first questing adventure in Hawksmouth requires too much traveling through the entire shard, so the Hawksmouth docks area has been redesigned with new starter quests. "We also removed those quests we found distracting, or downright boring."

The Hawksmouth changes, as well as the addition of a new quest tracker, will be implemented in the upcoming Scroll 5, which will also include the usual bug fixes. You can read the entire announcement after the jump.

The Chronicles of Spellborn Officially Released!

It looks like wait is over! Acclaim Games has just announced the official release of The Chronicles of Spellborn! New players who sign up now will recieve a free 2 week premium subscription, so if you had even the smallest amount of interest in this combat-innovative MMO, then now's the time to act!

Read the press release after the jump, or go download the client here!

Chronicles of Spellborn Dev Chat to be Held Today

If you'd like to chat with the Chronicles of Spellborn developers, today is your chance. They'll be holding a Webinar today from 3-4 p.m. PDT. Acclaim CEO Howard Marks, Acclaim CCO David Perry, Sound Designer Matthew Florianz, Lead Game Designer El Drijver and Lead Writer Vincent Leeuw will all be available to talk with fans.

You can register for the event here. Various aspects of the game will be discussed, and players will be able to voice their thoughts, ideas and concerns regarding the Chronicles of Spellborn.

Chronicles of Spellborn Open Beta Launches Today

Open beta testing for The Chronicles of Spellborn has launched today, giving access to all players who would like the opportunity to try out this "freemium" game before its official release. What exactly does "freemium" mean, you ask? Basically, players can enjoy a free-to-play zone at no cost, but must subscribe to a premium service to explore the rest of the content.

With the launch of open beta, the premium service is now activated. Also, a new PvE server named Dorzhan has opened. If PvP is more to your liking, try out the Deiquonril server. To join the open beta, you can download the client here and activate your Acclaim code here.

Even though the closed beta just ended, all player accounts will be wiped so everyone can start from scratch. You can read the press release regarding the announcement after the jump.

First Content Patch to Go Live on Dec. 18

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.

EU Open Beta to be Held this Weekend Before Launch

The Chronicles of Spellborn launches in Europe on Nov. 27. The closed beta ended last night with a huge PvP event pitting testers against devs, but a short open beta will begin tomorrow at noon CET and end Monday at 10 p.m. CET. If you're interested in trying it out over the weekend, you can sign up here.

The open beta will be available to players in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Full information can be found here or below.