The Guild Wars franchise of online role playing games has broken the four million units sold mark in just over two years.

Published by NCsoft and developed by ArenaNet, the Guild Wars series (consisting of Guild Wars, Guild Wars Factions, and Guild Wars Nightfall) has a subscription-free business model. Since the first campaign launched in 2005, Guild Wars has developed legions of loyal fans who are hotly anticipating the August 31 release of the game's first true expansion, Guild Wars: Eye of the North.

"ArenaNet's fantastic work on Guild Wars has helped make NCsoft the leading online gaming publisher in the world," claims Robert Garriott, CEO of NCsoft North America. "Guild Wars players continue to join in droves and stay loyal to the franchise thanks to a business model that makes for a very accessible product. We are all excited about the future of Guild Wars with the expansion ready to be released and Guild Wars 2 on the horizon."

"Four million units sold is an impressive number and demonstrates that Guild Wars is a proven franchise," said Bob McKenzie, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, GameStop Corporation. "The Guild Wars franchise delivers an outstanding gaming experience and is clearly an important part of our PC games offerings."

In advance of the release of Guild Wars: Eye of the North, ArenaNet is hosting the Sneak Peek Weekend from August 24 to August 26, during which players can explore the frigid climes and encounter the wild beasts of the Far Shiverpeaks region. To participate in the preview weekend, players must purchase the Guild Wars: Eye of the North Prerelease Bonus Pack, on sale at retailers and at PlayNC.com.

Any loot, items, XP, and Heroes earned by players during the Sneak Peek Weekend will be available when Guild Wars: Eye of the North goes live on August 31. Additional information about the Guild Wars: Eye of the North Sneak Peek Weekend can be found at guildwars.com/events/ingame/gwen-sneakpeek.

Guild Wars: Eye of the North features new characters, heroes, items, and story content accessible to players who own any existing Guild Wars campaign.