the Gaia Online team announced today the launch of the public open beta for zOMG!, its first casual MMO.

During the Open Beta testing phase, Gaia is opening zOMG! to a much larger audience of both community members and the general public. While in this period, Gaia is encouraging players to provide feedback on the game through the site’s message boards and forums. zOMG! will continue to grow and evolve throughout the Open Beta phase, as members offer feedback and continue to shape the world.

The full press release can be found after the jump. Check out the zOMG! Web site for more information and to start playing.

The open beta for Gaia Online's new casual MMO "zOMG!" will open on Oct. 27 for Gaia community members. According to a press release, "8,500 lucky Golden Ticket holders will be the first entrants, scoring exclusive early playtime in the casual MMO before the first wave of Gaians flood the game’s gates."

zOMG! will most likely be out of beta later this year. Over 120,000 players applied to be a part of the closed beta, which launched in July.

The full press release can be found after the jump. More information on Gaia Online or zOMG! can be found on their respective Web sites.