It's official! August 1st has been named the official release date for the upcoming free-to-play martial arts MMORPG, World of Kung Fu .

[Shanghai, China, July 22, 2008] Starting today, World of Kung Fu players will be able to explore a dramatically enhanced and expanded virtual world. The popular 3D martial arts game is based on the arts and mythology of ancient China. The new version is the last in a series of upgrades leading to the official launch of the game on August 1st. A new server has been added to handle the increase in traffic.

The most noticeable new feature is the addition of 8 new maps including the new country of Qinchuan, its capital city Jingchuan, a huge, accurate replica of the Forbidden City (populated by dragons), a Dragon Maze, a large Hot Spring area, Qigong Temple, and more. The new maps expand the game's playable area by about 25%.

Read on for more about the upcoming features...

Many quests have been added, as well as a new treasure hunting system. The new "Divine" weapons class has been activated. Ferocious enemies like the Tang Serpent and the Mojia Warriors will make their appearance. In addition, the level cap has been raised to allow players to achieve level 80.

"The new features and additions to gameplay as well as numerous ‘under the hood' technical enhancements really add polish to World of Kung Fu, and that is being reflected in the numbers of new registered users we see signing up every day", says David Clarke, the game's Producer.

A great deal of play balancing combined with technical enhancements such as improved integration with Windows Vista and other versions of the Windows operating system will make it easier for new players to get involved with the game. The addition of a new server will also make the game more accessible to many people.

More detailed information about the many new features mentioned above can be found on the official World of Kung Fu website: http://www.worldofkungfu.com