AC2 has been in beta for a very long period of time now. First only allowing a select number of Microsoft and Turbine employee's then excepting a select number of Asheron's Call subscribers and eventually after that allowing all of the Asheron's Call subscribers in their closed beta.

Finally Turbine and Microsoft are going to open the beta up to those who never played Asheron's Call.
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The open beta begins officially in October and with that juicy snippit of information Computer Gaming Magazine will kick it off by adding to their October issue a CD with the Asheron's Call 2 beta client and login information to join the thousands of beta testers in the world of Dereth.

The October issue of CGM should be on shelves by early-mid September. Rumor speculates that Asheron's Call 2 will be Gold and ready for shipment by November-December. This game is truelly the next step in the genre of MMORPG's by allowing the players to run the economy with no Non Player Characters.