Allods Online Open Beta Begins in North America and Europe

February 18, 2010

Moscow — February 17, 2010 —  Mail.Ru Inc. announced today that Allods Online, the eagerly anticipated free to play MMORPG developed by its Astrum Nival studio, has entered open beta in North America and in Europe, where it is available in English, German and French. The publishers are Gala-Net, Inc. and Gala Networks Europe respectively.

Allods Online has already gone through four successful closed beta testing phases in both territories, taking participants through most of its unique fantasy universe. Now, they have access to the entire game including the ability to build their own Astral ships and to explore the vast Astral space for uncharted islands that can hold invaluable treasures. These vessels are crewed by entire parties, with each member having a distinct role, from navigator to helmsman, engineer and gunner.  Players can navigate the randomly generated and constantly changing region, fight massive Astral demons, and engage in piracy.

Allods Online is a revolutionary MMORPG that has taken more than three years and 12 million USD in funding to develop. It features a huge amount of content including two warring factions, six races, 28 classes, over 1500 quests and a crafting system designed around mini-games. While exploring the deep storyline to uncover the history of the game universe, players experience compelling PvP and PvE.

“We are extremely proud to begin the Allods Online open beta for our many European and North American fans. We are confident that this very distinctive game further enhances Astrum Nival's reputation within the international game development community,” said Mr. Vsevolod Leonov, Vice President of International Business Development of Mail.Ru.   “We are excited about our excellent collaboration with Gala-Net, Inc. and Gala Networks Europe. It’s both a pleasure and an honor for us to work closely with these leading free to play publishers to bring Allods Online to their respective markets and to help make it a success all around the world.”

About Allods Online
Allods Online is a free to play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Astrum Nival, a Mail.Ru studio. Based on the popular Allods series of games (known internationally as Rage of Mages) and featuring eight playable character classes, six races and an expansive, compelling universe, it is winning the hearts of gamers worldwide. The title's unique setting combines a traditional fantasy MMORPG experience with a new science fiction twist featuring magical islands called allods that float in the living substance known as the Astral. With fierce player versus player and player versus environment combat plus epic battles between Astral ships, Allods Online was acknowledged as the Best Game 2009 and Best Online Game 2008 by Russian Game Development Conference (KRI), where it also received the Audience Choice Award 2008.  Additional information is available at www.allods.com

About Gala-Net Inc.
Gala-Net Inc., founded in 2004 in Sunnyvale, California, is one of the leaders in the free-to-play online games market of North America. In 2006 a European subsidiary, Gala Networks Europe, was established. Gala-Net Inc. has brought to the North American and European audiences a vast number of projects, including such famous titles as Fly For Fun, Rapplelz, Tales Runner, Luna Online, Aika, and Allods Online. All of these games are available at Gala’s gaming portal www.gPotato.com. More information is available at www.gala-net.com.

About Gala Networks Europe
Gala Networks Europe Ltd. is a leading European free to play online games publisher. Established in Dublin, Ireland in 2006, the company offers a portfolio of popular MMORPGs including Allods Online, Fly for Fun, Rappelz, Street Gears, Dragonica, and Castle of Heroes. With over 2,500,000 users, its gPotato.eu portal www.gPotato.eu is a major destination for the region's gamers.  More information is available at www.gala-net.eu.

About Mail.Ru
Mail.Ru is the foremost Russian Internet portal, serving the entertainment and communication needs of the global Russian-speaking community with a comprehensive array of more than 40 services including the largest Russian free e-mail service, instant messenger Mail.Ru Agent, national social network My Mir@Mail.Ru, and search engine Poisk@Mail.Ru. With over 50 percent market share and more than 40 titles to satisfy a full range of individual preferences, Mail.ru is also the leading Russian online gaming publisher. Its portfolio includes internally developed hits like Allods Online and Legend: Legacy of the Dragons as well as successful international licenses such as Perfect World II, Lord of the Rings Online, Silkroad Online, Jade Dynasty (ZhuXian), Cross Fire and ZT Online. Additional information is available at www.mail.ru.