Trion Worlds announces the launch of RIFT in North America and Australia (since it's Wednesday there already), saying the fantasy-themed MMORPG will launch in pan-European countries on Thursday and in the U.K. on Friday. Word is: "In Rift, the world of Telara is under siege from eight primal forces after the magical ward protecting the planet shatters. Joining either the technomagical Defiant or divinely-appointed Guardians, players assume the role of an Ascended hero brought back from the dead to fight the planar invaders and save Telara. Featuring an innovative class-building system, massive dynamic battles in an ever-changing world, and incredible social gameplay, Rift enters the online gaming arena as the new gold-standard in MMORPGs." The announcement is accompanied by a "This is RIFT" video developer diary where Trion's Scott Hartsman, William Cook, Bill Fisher, Simon Ffinch, Gavin Irby, Aaron Hooten, and Andrew Krausnick team up to explain zone-wide events, the player rewards for participating in these epic battles, and other gameplay elements. The embedded trailer follows.