Product Mini Profile Starcraft II in: Real-time Strategy (PC) links » p/reviews

Fans of either Blizzard's Starcraft series or ArenaNet's Guild Wars will have to distract themselves with the series originals for awhile longer, or maybe something else altogether, as neither will be ready to play in beta or final form in 2008.

In the Guild Wars 2 FAQ, a recent question is posted about when the game will be ready which is replied to with a simple "we haven't announced a specific release date yet, but when we do you can get those details and more right here on the official website." Another, regarding the beta, is given a "not this year":

"Although we publically alpha- and beta-tested the original Guild Wars while it was still in early development, with Guild Wars 2 we will commence beta testing closer to the game's release. With that in mind, we will not start beta testing in 2008 as we had originally planned. Guild Wars 2 is a very large and ambitious game, and Guild Wars players rightfully have very high expectations of its quality. We want players to be absolutely blown away by the game the first time they experience it."

Now, awhile ago a number of sites were reporting the sequel to what must be one of the few (if only) games released a decade ago to still have tournaments, Starcraft II, would be released December 3 (us included). Well, here's another reason you shouldn't trust retail outlets for release dates: at the Worldwide Invitational, Executive VP Rob Pardo addressed the rumour, saying it was just that, and the studio is actually only "about a third of the way through" the game's campaign; at this point they're focusing their energies on story structure and cinematics. While this means it certainly won't be on shelves this year, Blizzard should have some more solid stuff to show us by the time 2008 comes to a close.

So, then, more Age of Conan, anyone?