REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct 05, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that it has signed a
deal with IDW Publishing to expand two of its intellectual properties, Army
of Two(TM) and Dragon Age(TM), into comics under a new EA(TM) Comics
imprint with IDW beginning in January. EA and IDW will launch monthly,
ongoing series for both Army of Two and Dragon Age. Each
issue will be published in print and distributed nationally at comic
book outlets, with digital versions released for iPhone(TM) and iPod(R) Touch
and other emerging digital platforms.
"We've seen an increasing number of video game tie-ins with comics over
the last few years. This marks another step in our strategy for
extending EA's wholly-owned game properties to new media. It is
exhilarating to be working with the comic book creators directly," said
Mike Quigley, Group Vice President, Global Marketing, EA Games Label.
Under terms of the agreement, EA will fund and manage the creative
aspect of the comic book series, while IDW will be responsible for
printing and distribution. IDW is the leader in digital comic book
distribution and the nation's third largest comic book publisher overall.
"This is a great opportunity for IDW to work with a worldwide leader in
video games," said Greg Goldstein, chief operating officer for IDW. "We
look forward to bringing a tremendous amount of great content into the
comics market."
Written by veteran comic book writer Peter Milligan (X-Men,
Batman, Hellblazer), Army of Two is being published as a
comic starting in January 2010. Rising star Chester Ocampo is the
cover artist while the interior artist/penciler, Dexter Soy, is a
'hot newcomer' on the comic scene. Soy's work suggests influences
from well-known comic artists such as Whilce Portacio and Leinil
Francis Yu. The first story arc, "Across the Border," follows
ex-Army Rangers Salem and Rios as they form their own Private Military
Corporation: Trans World Operations. The story of the comic follow the
events of the first Army of Two game but takes place before the
deadly invasion of Shanghai by The 40th Day initiative in the
videogame sequel. In the comic, Salem and Rios get more than they
bargained for as they are unexpectedly caught in a brewing war between
the Mexican Army, drug cartels, and The Maras - one of the most powerful
street gangs in Mexico.
Inspired by the highly-anticipated BioWare(TM) RPG, Dragon Age: Origins, the
Dragon Age comic book series will be written by award-winning
fiction writer Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game, Ultimate Iron
Man). The cover artist is the critically acclaimed Humberto Ramos.
Story details and the interior artist are expected to be announced
shortly.
To sign up for the EA Comics mailing list, register at: http://www.eacomics.com.
The site will have complete information on all the EA comic book series,
as well as unique "behind the scenes" content, news, blogs and artwork.
The site will feature weekly content updates to keep audiences apprised
of the latest developments on current and upcoming projects.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in
1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive
software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless
devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under
four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA Mobile(TM)
and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of
$4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies.
EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com.
More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can
be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
About IDW
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and
trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its
diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some
of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including:
Hasbro's The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount's Star
Trek; Fox's Angel; the BBC's Doctor Who;
andtelevision's #1 prime time series CBS' CSI:
Crime Scene Investigation. IDW is also home to the Library of
American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe!
Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for
ComicMix.
IDW's original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched
as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the
#1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company
can be found at IDWPublishing.com.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO and Army of Two are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other
countries. Dragon Age and BioWare are trademarks or registered
trademarks of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. iPhone, iPod
and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and
other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective licensors.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
Electronic Arts
Tammy Schachter, 650-628-7223
tschachter@ea.com
or
IDW Publishing
AnnaMaria White, 858-270-1315 ext. 121
annamaria@idwpublishing.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009