KingsIsle Unveils Details about Advanced Pets System for Wizard101
New pets, unique pet creation system, pet minigames, Pet Derby, and all-new pet-centered gameplay!

PLANO, TEXAS (April 29, 2010) – KingsIsle Entertainment, creators of the award-winning massively multiplayer online game (MMO) Wizard101, is proud to announce details about the Advanced Pets system set to launch this Spring. Players have long enjoyed pets as companions within Wizard101 and the Advanced Pets system offers a variety of new ways to enjoy the game. Pets have now come into their own with an amazing range of powers, providing players access to unique and exciting content.

Under the Advanced Pets system, players have a dramatically increased range of magical familiars to choose from and pets have more abilities to help Wizards in duels, boosting their power and even casting spells to aid them. With hundreds of unique genetic talents and traits, Wizards can mix and match their pets in the Hatchery to create an almost infinite variety of unique creatures. Each newly-hatched egg inherits traits from its parents, creating new pets that manifest incredible powers and combat abilities. With talents ranging from common to epic, a pet’s potential is gradually revealed as it is trained by its Wizard!

The new Pet Pavilion in Wizard City offers several new vendors and services ranging from the Hatchery, pet and snack vendors, and new games for Wizards to train their pets and increase their abilities. These games are fun ways to grow pets from hatchlings to adults, increasing their prowess with each game you play. After each game, Wizards can feed their pets a tasty snack to help them grow stronger. The more the pet likes the snack, the more powerful they will become!

The highlight of the Pet Pavilion, however, is the Pet Derby -- a set of exotic, fantasy-themed courses where Wizards can test their mettle in a speed race to see which pet is the strongest. Wizards take the role of their pet, steering them between lanes and activating powers (like oil slicks and banana peels) to reach the finish line and claim their rightful spot at the top of the winner’s podium. Pets learn to avoid obstacles, run, swim, and thwart the other racers as you cheer them on to victory!

In addition to all the new activities in the Pet Pavilion, and just as in the real world, pets add life and joy to Wizard101. Wizards can now free their pets to roam and patrol their Castles. Seeing pets wander independently around player-owned Castles makes those customizable environments feel even more like home!

“We are always working to add depth and detail to the Wizard101 universe -- and with the Advanced Pets system, players will discover a whole new dimension to the game,” said J. Todd Coleman, vice president and creative director of KingsIsle Entertainment. “Hatching, training, dancing, swimming, racing -- we’ve added so much for pets to do, it’s practically a new game.”

In Wizard101, kids and families enter the magical world of Wizard City as student Wizards setting out to hone their Wizard skills, cast spells and summon powerful creatures to fight evil forces. The characters and worlds of Wizard101 are influenced by literature, history and pop culture, giving the game a depth and quality appreciated by families and players of all ages.

Wizard101 can be downloaded at www.Wizard101.com and offers free game play for as long as players choose. Players seeking access to premium areas and items may purchase pre-paid cards in participating stores or purchase a subscription or Crowns online. New worlds, activities, pets and Wizard clothing are periodically added to the game, creating an ever-changing world with new things to see and do.