What about that whole business model I mentioned earlier? Well of course I have to save the best for last and in the world of online gaming this is a bombshell. Guild Wars will require NO monthly fee. It is a bold move on NCsoft’s part, which could make or break Guild Wars. If they are able to pull if off then we may see a dramatic explosion in the online RPG audience. We all know that person who says they’d love to play, but just can’t rationalize paying ten bucks a month after they’ve already bought the dumb game. Those people add up and they’re exactly who NCsoft wants to capture. Imagine, too, the potential for large-scale warfare since you and your friends can hook up no matter what server they’re on. That coupled with Guild Wars’ easy to pick up and use gameplay promises an interesting future. Just how far in the future is Guild Wars? The game is deep in closed alpha testing as of now with a final release slated sometime in the third quarter of 2004.