EA has announced that Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning has taken the all-important step towards beating stealing some users from World of Warcraft by releasing plans for a Fall 2009 Mac version of the game. Above all other genres, MMORPGs have the most to gain from going multiplatform onto Macs, bolstering subscriber numbers significantly and allowing for PC users who wield Macbooks on the go (a growing number) the ability to play their favorite addiction away from home. 

A beta client is currently available (and downloading, I need to do some "research") on their website, as well as the option to sign up for a 10-Day trial. They want every Mac owner to jump in and give it a go - a great idea. Warhammer has established itself as a clear alternative to World of Warcraft, and this move is a great sign for the game's fans. The press release is below with all of the information, anyone else planning on getting ready for WAAAAAAAGH.

APPLE FANS PREPARE FOR WAR WITH MAC VERSIONOF WARHAMMER ONLINE: AGE OF RECKONING
Beta Version of Warhammer Online for Mac Available Now for Download to Current Players, 10-Day Beta Trial for New Mac Users

FAIRFAX, Virginia – July 30, 2009 – Mythic Entertainment™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, today announced that the critically acclaimed MMORPG, Warhammer® Online: Age of Reckoning® (WAR), is being developed for the Mac® computer platform and is currently being offered in beta version. The Mac version of WAR is scheduled for official release in the fall of 2009, when players on both platforms will be able to battle and quest together on the same servers.

The beta of the Mac version of Warhammer Online will allow current players to download a client to their Mac computers and play with their live game accounts. Players who do not have an existing live account, but are interested in playing WAR on the Mac, will be able to participate in the beta version of WAR on Mac by downloading a 10-day beta trial account. As part of the WAR Mac beta event, players who participate will receive an exclusive title and trophy reward for their characters within the game.

“The MMORPG audience continues to expand, and that means gamers eager to experience WAR aren’t all playing on a PC,” said Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. “We want as many players as possible to experience the glory of Realm vs. Realm combat, and bringing WAR to the Mac makes this an exciting reality.”

WAR for the Mac is made possible using the CiderTM Portability Engine from TransGaming (TSX-V: TNG) that acts as a "wrapper" around the game software, enabling it to run seamlessly on Intel-based Macs. TransGaming’s Cider technology allows Mythic Entertainment to rapidly enable and deploy WAR for the Mac, providing a new high quality gaming experience to the ever-growing Mac gaming community.

“The availability of WAR on Mac is an outstanding example of the caliber of games being deployed for the Mac gaming community,” commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & President of TransGaming. “Mythic Entertainment has created an incredible game and TransGaming is thrilled they have chosen our advanced Cider technology to launch WAR for the Mac.”

To download the beta version of WAR for Mac or the 10-day beta trial, please visit: www.warhammeronline.com/mac.

Based on the popular tabletop war game from Games Workshop, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning features revolutionary Realm vs. Realm™ conflict that will provide players with an engaging battleground for years to come. Available now for PC and rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB, WAR will be available for the Mac in the fall of 2009. For more information or to download the 10-day free trial, visit http://www.warhammeronline.com/.