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.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Nov. 6, 2008

Gaia Online, the world's most active online community, today announced the launch of public Open Beta testing for its first casual MMO game, zOMG! Following a highly successful Closed Beta period, audiences everywhere are now invited to journey through beautiful worlds and join forces with friends in the battle against unruly monsters. With 16 zones and a vast variety of battle rings and recipes to choose from, zOMG! is an engaging adventure that blends social online community experiences with accessible MMO gameplay.

“Our top priority is providing a high-quality MMO gaming experience that’s fun and challenging, and also user-friendly for all levels of players,” said David Georgeson, Senior Producer of zOMG! at Gaia Online. “We received a lot of great feedback from gamers during our Closed Beta, so we’re throwing open the doors as we update the game with new features and additional content.”

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.

As community members begin playing the MMO, they’ll discover the game’s overarching storyline. In the world of zOMG!, inanimate objects such as lawn gnomes, rubber boots and alarm clocks are coming to life, threatening to overwhelm all of Gaia, and it's up to players to stop them! While forging alliances with other players, collecting and trading powerful rings, creating recipes, and challenging monsters in battle, players will try to solve the mystery of why inanimate objects are coming to life and how they can be stopped. As the zOMG! world continues to grow, so will the plotlines, each new story arc building on the others to evolve the world of Gaia far beyond where it stands now. Join in the game and be an active part of the evolution as you explore the world and aid its citizens.