AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 31, 2005—NCsoft® North America announces that City of Villains™, stand-alone sequel to the hit massively multiplayer online PC game City of Heroes®, has gone live in North America. Developed by Cryptic Studios™ and published by NCsoft, City of Villains introduces a host of new features including the ability to create massive evil lairs from the ground up, and player-versus-player (PvP) zones where villains can battle against hero players from the City of Heroes game.

City of Villains is available at retailers in North America at an anticipated price of US$49.99 for its standard edition and US$69.99 for the feature-packed collector’s DVD edition. Both editions include the first month of online game play, and after the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of US$14.99. Earlier this month NCsoft announced that existing City of Heroes’ customers can purchase City of Villains and subscribe to both games for the single subscription price of US$14.99.

“City of Villains’ players should have no trouble getting in touch with their inner scoundrel,” said NCsoft CEO Robert Garriott. “And since customers can play City of Heroes and City of Villains for one subscription price, it is also a tremendous value.”

City of Villains was created in response to the number one request from players…to be the bad guy. Cryptic Studios has answered that request with dark and startling new costume options, and distinctly villainous missions including heists, abductions and infiltrations. In addition to the robust base creator feature, City of Villains will allow players to use their bases for special PvP base raids. Once super groups obtain and store special items of power in their bases, they will be forced to defend them from other intruding hero and villain super groups.

“Though City of Villains is packed with new features, another key difference is in how you approach your character,” said Jack Emmert, creative director at Cryptic Studios and lead designer for City of Heroes and City of Villains. “Players are going to have to be more aggressive and uncompromising. They will quickly learn that survival is the name of the game, because as a villain you are going to be the target of other villains, lawful authorities, rival gangs and super powered-heroes. So the badder you are, the better you’ll be.”

For more information about City of Villains, go to http://www.cityofvillains.com.