FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Meridian 59 Available Again

Mountain View, CA – May 13, 2001

Near Death Studios, Inc. is proud to announce the full commercial release of Meridian 59: Resurrection. The exciting world of Meridian 59: Resurrection is now open for the general public to enjoy.

Fans have enjoyed a Pre-Launch period that allowed a limited number of players to begin playing Meridian 59: Resurrection while Near Death Studios continued its work on the full billing system. The Meridian 59: Resurrection Pre-Launch began almost two months ago with players buying Limited Edition CDs with unlimited Pre-Launch playtime. The Pre-Launch phase was a great success with players from around the world eager to return to their favorite online game.

Now that the billing system is in place, Near Death Studios is ready to welcome more players into the incredible world of Meridian 59: Resurrection. Near Death Studios has partnered with Internet Payment Solutions and Pay By Cash to set up a comprehensive billing system allowing people to pay by nearly any payment method including Visa, MasterCard, direct debit, check, money order, PayPal, Citibank's C2it, wire transfer, or even Western Union.

New players can choose to join existing Pre-Launch customers on server 101 or start on the new server 102 or sign up for an account on each server. Each account costs of $10.95 per month per gameplay account. Each gameplay account includes two character slots on one server and unlimited gameplay each month.

Although the Limited Edition CDs are no longer for sale, players will be able to download the game client software from the Meridian 59 website. A new CD is expected to be available this summer for players that don’t wish to download the game client. Players can sign up to play now at http://billing.neardeathstudios.com/" TARGET="_blank">http://billing.neardeathstudios.com/

Welcome back to your favorite online game.

About Meridian 59

Meridian 59 is one of the first commercial 3D graphical online RPGs. Released in September 1996, Meridian 59 was one of the pioneering games in the new era of graphical online games. The game is considered by many to be the first of the new generation of massively multiplayer online only role-playing games.

Meridian 59 was originally developed by Archetype Interactive, a company that included Near Death Studios co-founder Rob Ellis II. The game and company were sold to The 3DO Company in 1996 and Meridian 59 was available to the public from September 27, 1996 until August 31, 2000. Near Death Studios, Inc. acquired the rights to Meridian 59 from The 3DO Company in November of 2001.

During its four year lifespan, the game had six updates developed for it. Each updated added new content such as new monsters to fight, spells to cast, or areas to explore. These expansions helped take Meridian 59 from its solid foundation and grow the game world with create balanced gameplay. The game has also enjoyed success in other countries including a very popular German language version.

Throughout its history, Meridian 59 was well received from players and the press, receiving C/Net Gamecenter’s Best RPG Award in the game’s first year of service. Meridian 59 remains one of the best PvP (player vs. player) and social online games even today. Many of the game’s players agree that the balance in PvP combat has not been matched by subsequent games, and that the communication tools are still the most developed in any graphical game. Many important aspects of today’s online RPGs, such as customizable chat groups; buying, defending, and conquering player owned buildings; and player selection of guild emblems, were an early part of Meridian 59.

An updated version, called Meridian 59: Resurrection was released by Near Death Studios to a limited number of players during a Pre-Launch phase on March 15, 2002. The Meridian 59: Resurrection full commercial launch began May 13, 2002. Near Death Studios continues to update and expand the world of Meridian 59.

About Near Death Studios, Inc.

Near Death Studios, Inc. was founded by Rob “Q” Ellis II and Brian “Psychochild” Green, two former Meridian 59 developers. The company’s mission is to create fun online games. Near Death Studio’s current project is the Meridian 59 online RPG.


To sign up for a Meridian 59 account, visit: http://billing.neardeathstudios.com/" TARGET="_blank">http://billing.neardeathstudios.com/

Watch for more news at the game’s new official website: http://Meridian59.NearDeathStudios.com/

Near Death Studios, Inc.
http://www.NearDeathStudios.com/
info@NearDeathStudios.com

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Source: Near Death Studios - Info@NearDeathStudios.com