EverQuest II beta ends tonight

Beta testers' time in Norrath is running out. Sony Online Entertainment today announced that the beta-testing period for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game EverQuest II will come to a conclusion tonight. At the stroke of midnight tonight, Sony will shut down the beta servers and delete all characters and items. The forums will also be temporarily unavailable for restructuring.

"On behalf of the entire EverQuest II team, I want to thank everyone who has participated in our beta test over the last several months on the English, French, and German servers. Your feedback has been immeasurably valuable throughout the testing process by helping us find bugs and polish our gameplay. EverQuest II wouldn't be what it is today without your involvement," said Sony representative Sean Kauppinen in a statement.

EverQuest II allows players to gather online and explore the world of Norrath, battling monsters, befriending other online players, and solving quests and missions. The retail version of the game will be available November 9 in the United States, and November 11 in Europe. EverQuest II is rated "T" for Teen and will retail for $49.99. An EverQuest II collector's edition will also be available for $89.99. Both versions include a 30-day subscription. Subsequent monthly subscriptions will cost gamers $14.99.

Sony recently announced Station Players, a service that allows gamers to check on their EverQuest II character online, upload screenshots, and host message boards and forums. The Station Players service will cost subscribers $2.99 per month for all services, or $.99 for selected ones.

For more on EverQuest II, explore GameSpot's previous coverage.