First wizards, now pirates! Ahoy, matey

Few games have had such a wide-ranging success as Wizard101. Never heard of the online game? Let's put it this way: The unique monthly users top World of Warcraft's current number of 10.2 million by almost four million more.

Hoping to capitalize on Wizard101's magical appeal as a family oriented game, publisher KingsIsle Entertainment has announced Pirate101, a new online adventure set in the same universe as its predecessor.

Players will be able to play as a Buccaneer, Witchdoctor, Privateer, Swashbuckler or Musketeer, while sailing around in pirate ships in the clouds. And what pirate game would be complete without being able to hunt down cities of gold. Also like its predecessor, most of the game content will be free, but players will be able to make in-game purchases as well.

"We've created a world of treacherous pirates, faithful companions, tactical battles and gorgeous environments," said Todd Coleman, KingsIsle's creative director. "Pirate101 fuses the key lessons we've learned from Wizard101 with entirely new design, setting and gameplay mechanics. We've succeeded in creating a game that is very different from Wizard101, but remains comfortable and familiar."

The game is currently in alpha and is expected to launch later this year.