Wizard101 Virtual World Surpasses Two Million-Player Mark

Online entertainment company KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. has announced a gift card program for family-friendly hit game Wizard101, which recently surpassed two million unique users who have registered to play the game.

Starting today, $10 prepaid Wizard101 gift cards are available in 7-Eleven stores nationwide. Purchasing through local outlets offers friends, family and fans of the 3D virtual world of Wizards and spell-casting more options for unlocking advanced game content.

“Wizard101 gift cards give our growing community more flexibility and parental control in their purchases - beginning with a way to purchase advanced game content in a store,” said KingsIsle CEO Elie Akilian.

The $10 price point makes Wizard101 gift cards an affordable birthday gift, allowance treat, or a fun surprise for the in-game pet collector. With the new gift cards, players who don’t have a credit card will have more independence in the way they spend small increments in the game, whether they decide to unlock new areas of the game or purchase equipment and accessories for their Wizard101 characters, such as wands, treasure cards and holiday items.

Each card offers a limited edition collectible pet available upon redemption from one of four special sets: Protectors, Assistants, Adventurers, and Heroes. Pets from these sets will give players better powers such as increased accuracy, defense, damage, and a special spell card that can be used during duels.

In addition to the special abilities listed above, the gift card pets will be available in colors, patterns, and clothing that cannot be found anywhere else in the game. The first set, Protectors, are available now. Each month beginning in May, a new set will become available to gift card purchasers upon redemption.

Wizard101 is a family-friendly virtual world of wizardry in which magic comes to life in a quest that involves a massive cast of good, evil and frequently silly characters. Players take on the fantasy role of a Wizard apprentice at the prestigious Ravenwood School, where they learn, collect and cast spell cards, make friends, play mini games and more. Wizard101 is designed for all ages with the safety of young players in mind. The game contains no blood, and characters don’t die if they are defeated in a duel of spells-they simply go to a safe area in the game to regain health.

The online game was awarded a 2008 Parent Tested Parent Approved Media Seal of Approval and is rated E10+ by the ESRB. Anybody with a Windows based PC can join the Free-to-Play areas of the game for as long as they like. KingsIsle lets players choose subscription or microtransaction methods for advanced content. Family plan subscriptions are $6.95 per month, and general subscriptions are $9.95. Microtransaction zones give permanent access to particular streets or areas within the game for as little as a $1.