SOE and Sigil Games Online announces the imminent close of beta testing for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes in what amounts to a gold announcement, confirming the MMORPG's January 30 release date:

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Open Beta to Close Jan. 23

Sony Online Entertainment and Sigil Games Online announced today that the “Vanguard: Saga of Heroes” open beta will close on January 23 at 11:59 p.m. PST. In anticipation of the January 30th launch of the fantasy-themed MMORPG, the servers will be shut down, and all beta character profiles will be transferred to a test server. The test server will open after launch with timing to be determined. For those who have pre-ordered “Vanguard: Saga of Heroes”, early access will be granted to the live servers before the official release date. More information regarding the early access will be released shortly.

Players can now pre-order “Vanguard: Saga of Heroes” digitally and at retail. Additionally, gamers that pre-order retail versions will receive an exclusive endurance buff scroll that will allow their character to sprint for longer periods of time (one per account).

For more information or to order “Vanguard: Saga of Heroes”, visit www.joinvanguard.com/buy/.