Guild Wars 2 is shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest and best PC exclusives. This high fantasy RPG is the sequel to the award-winning original from 2005 and boasts the same subscription-free model that has made its predecessor such a popular choice for MMO fans over the last seven years.

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If the idea of playing a beautiful and deep MMORPG without having to pay a monthly subscription fee appeals to you then Guild Wars 2 is definitely worth your consideration. This sequel to 2005’s award-winning Guild Wars has been in development for over five years and looks to improve on the original in every conceivable way.

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[Update]

You can now read El33tonline’s hands-on preview of Guild Wars 2, following a recent special event beta test weekend.

[End of Update]

As the Afrikaans say “Ek is in my knoppies.” I am breathless with anticipation. Why you ask? Well, on Friday night (tonight!) I will be joining a group of people who have been invited to Beta test Guild Wars 2. Yes, that’s right, Guild Wars 2. Did I say it loud enough, Guild Wars 2.

I am quite excited.

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gamescom, a massive annual gaming event in Germany, has grown from strength to strength and last year boasted attendance numbers of 275 000 people with 557 exhibitors spread out across the mammoth, cavernous halls of the Koelnmesse in Cologne.

That was gamescom 2011. gamescom 2012 is going to be even bigger.

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With the announcement that massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) experts NCsoft would be holding its very own press conference at gamescom in Germany, promises of a world exclusive reveal began to emerge, too, as the company announced it would have a “major presence” at this year’s massive gaming event.

We’ve now edged a little closer to knowing what this world exclusive reveal might be, as NCsoft’s studio in Aliso Viejo, California, Carbine Studios, has announced that it will be showing off its MMO at gamescom 2011 in Cologne.

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Massively Multiplayer Online game experts NCsoft confirmed recently that the company will be holding a press briefing on August 17th during this year’s edition of gamescom in Cologne, Germany, where we hope to clap eyes and ears on a ‘world exclusive’ announcement.

This information is in line with previously revealed gamescom 2011 plans which claim that NCsoft will have a “major presence” at the massive (enormous, gigantic) gaming event.

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Last year, Richard Garriott (of Ultima, Tabula Rasa and space exploration fame) left massively multiplayer online game developer, NCsoft after he touched down from his trip to space to focus on other ventures. This seems to only be the first half of the story.

After the revelation yesterday that Garriott has filed a lawsuit yesterday in the Texas Western District Court, it appears as though he (as the plaintiff) is seeking $24 million from his former employer, NCsoft, accusing the company of fraud.

From Garriott’s complaint:

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The embattled massively multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG), Tabula Rasa, developed by NCsoft and celebrity game developer Richard Garriott, is set to shut down early next year.

The game, the full title of which is Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, was designed as a counter-point to the current crop of MMORPGs at the time, attempting to provide an alternative to the enormous World of Warcraft, as well as offer a type of MMOG gameplay that differed to the heavy Tolkien-esque fantasy elements and settings covered in the deluge of other games available, instead presenting a sci-fi world that had obvious repercussions on gameplay and how you approached the game’s challenges.

After Richard Garriott himself announced his resignation from NCsoft a week ago, following his 10-day trip into space, all of which has followed troubling times for NCsoft, the future of Tabula Rasa never looked too good, despite Garriott’s best assurances and confidence in the team.

On January 10th, subscription fees for Tabula Rasa will be waived and on February 28th 2009, the game will cease operation. Despite the imminent closure of the game, the developers assured current players; “We’ll be doing some really fun things in Tabula Rasa, and we plan to make staying on a little longer worth your while.” Head over to the official site to read the community post.

Richard Garriott, Lord/General British, creator of the Ultima series and founder of Origin, has announced his plans to leave his current development home of online game developer NCsoft to pursue other interests.

The news was announced on the official Tabula Rasa site, Garriott’s latest game and massively multiplayer online RPG (MMORPG). The decision was conceived after he returned from his trip to space - an event that is sure to put some perspective on one’s life. From the site:

“Many of you probably wonder what my plans are, now that I have achieved the lifelong dream of going to space. Well, that unforgettable experience has sparked some new interests that I would like to devote my time and resources to. As such, I am leaving NCsoft to pursue those interests.”

Garriott leaves the embattled NCsoft after what he calls a “rough launch” for Tabula Rasa, but it seems he remains confident in the future of the game and the company. It is unknown at this time what exactly his further interests may be, but the fact that he is an investor in a space tourism company may give some clues.

After the rumours and speculation were running rife yesterday, regarding potential job losses at NCSoft’s European studio in Brighton, it has now been announced that NCSoft’s subsidiaries in the US and Europe are to be consolidated under one label, NC West. Chris Chung, previously CEO of NC Interactive, will head up NC West as CEO. NCSoft CEO TJ Kim said of the move:

“We are confident that by combining our subsidiaries into a unified global organisation under Chris Chung’s leadership, NC West will become a more powerful force to be reckoned with in the western MMO market. Chris has become a guiding force within our company and has been extremely successful at every position he has held with us. His detailed first-hand knowledge of all aspects of our business is invaluable and will help establish NC West as a global leader.”

The job cuts at the Brighton studio have also been confirmed, with an estimated 58 developers let go, after the unannounced MMOG in development there has been cancelled. NC West will now control activities in the US and European regions, under guidance of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation.

In what is not turning out to be a great day for developers, according to sources close to the company, NCSoft will be trimming their European offices by letting 50 people go from their studio in Brighton. An MMOG was reportedly in development at that studio, but the project has now been cancelled, leading to the redundancies.

This follows an announcement a month ago, revealing that 21 developers would be let go from NCsoft’s offices in Austin, while rumours also abound that their latest MMOG, Tabula Rasa would soon be discontinued due to poor subscriber numbers.

NCSoft, the developers of massively multiplayer online games including Lineage, Guild Wars, Tabula Rasa and the upcoming Aion, have had a troubled time trying to compete with World of Warcraft and the burgeoning MMOG market, despite relative success with their Lineage and Guild Wars franchises. While Guild Wars 2 and Lineage III have been announced, no further information has been released.

Following on from the news that Midway were to release almost 100 people from their offices in Austin, comes similar news from both NCSoft and High Moon Studios.

NCSoft, most known for their Guild Wars series of massively multiplayer online games and, more recently, the Richard Garriott helmed effort, Tabula Rasa, has confirmed that they will be letting 21 employees go from their Austin offices, despite the denial of similar rumours.

An NCSoft spokesperson said of the lay-offs: “Primarily this is related to products which we have not previously announced and were in prototype phases. We are also cutting some positions on the Dungeon Runners team after deciding not to port the client to other platforms at this time.”

High Moon Studios on the other hand, known for Darkwatch as well as the recent Bourne game, is to release around 60 employees as a result of the Activision-Vivendi merger. Acquired by Vivendi Games in 2005, High Moon Studios is yet another casualty of the holy/unholy union, while other, now Activision-Blizzard owned studios, such as Radical Entertainment, Swordfish and Massive Entertainment, await their fate, after Activision’s statement:

“…the company intends to adapt the Vivendi Games’ studio operations to better align the studio structure against the new product slate. The company will realign staffing at Radical Entertainment and High Moon Studios.”

It’s a tough time in the industry.