Trion Worlds announced today that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Ubisoft to distribute Rift throughout continental Europe. This means that players in France, Benelux, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Nordics will be able to join in on the action when Rift is released worldwide in early 2011. Here's what Trion CEO Lars Buttler had to say about the deal:

"To join forces with an industry leader such as Ubisoft on our first title further demonstrates the potential Rift has to be a game-changer in the online gaming space. We are thrilled to be working with Ubisoft, one of world’s leading publishers, as we reaffirm our commitment to deliver quality products to gamers around the world."

While Rift isn't scheduled to officially launch until next year, players are getting excited for the first closed beta event this weekend! We're still giving away VIP beta keys to our forum users, so keep participating on our Rift site for a chance to win!