BioWare Launches Sizzling New Demo That Introduces New Players to the
Highest Rated Xbox 360 Game of 2010!
EDMONTON, Alberta, Jun 14, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Mass Effect(TM) 2 phenomenon rages on! BioWare(TM), a division of
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), today launches a demo for Mass
Effect 2 on Xbox Live(R) and PC. Designed to help introduce the rich Mass
Effect fiction to all-new players, the demo features the first two
missions of the game as well as one bonus mission, totaling over 90
minutes of the action-packed game play and rich storytelling that have
made Mass Effect 2 one of the most critically acclaimed games of
all time. BioWare is releasing the demo with a "Story-so-far" video,
narrated by actor Martin Sheen, that provides a recap of past events and
plot twists in the Mass Effect universe.
In the demo, players step into the role of Commander Shepard and must
escape from a Cerberus space station under siege. Players can jump ahead
to a later mission where they must rescue Subject Zero, a hardened,
dangerous criminal from a heavily guarded prison ship. Once they play
the demo, players will be able to create a save and carry over their
character along with the experience points, story decisions,
achievements and weapons earned into the full version of the game -
picking up right where they left off, on both PC and Xbox 360.
BioWare also announced today that players already in the game can
download a new game add-on called "Overlord", adding five new areas and
two new achievements. Available June 15, the game add-on is available
for 560 Microsoft points and on PC for 560 BioWare points. Also on June
15, BioWare is releasing a new premium theme based on Omega and new
avatar items for Xbox Live will follow on June 17.
"Mass Effect 2 is one of our greatest achievements to date at
BioWare," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder and Group General Manager of
the BioWare Group, and Senior Vice President of Electronic Arts. "The Mass
Effect team continues to deliver on our promise to add exciting new
content to the universe for our loyal fans, and we're also excited to be
able to give all gamers a chance to experience this amazing game through
a free demo!"
With over 70 perfect review scores, Mass Effect 2 has earned the
distinction of being the highest rated video game of 2010, the highest
rated game in the 26 year history of EA and the second highest rated
release of all time on Xbox 360*. MSNBC.com has said, "Mass Effect will
go down as one of the most influential video game series of all time."
By purchasing a new retail copy of Mass Effect 2, players will
also receive the full benefits of BioWare's Cerberus Network, an in-game
portal that has kept fans engaged with the Mass Effect universe
through downloadable content and news. Activated exclusively by original
purchasers of Mass Effect 2 through a single-use unlock code that
is included in retail and digital versions of the game worldwide, the
network has provided over a million Cerberus Network members with new
content at no extra charge, including:
-
Zaeed Massani, a new member for Commander Shepard's crew who has his
own mission and can be used in the entire game
-
The Hammerhead, a heavy assault vehicle that was introduced through
with five new vehicle-based missions
-
New Weapons - The Arc Projector and the M-22 Eviscerater Shotgun
-
New Armor - Cerberus Assault Gear
Mass Effect 2 is available for the Xbox 360(R) videogame and
entertainment system at an MSRP of $39.99 and for the PC at an MSRP of
$29.99. The game is rated 'M' for Mature by the ESRB and '18+' by PEGI.
For more information, follow the BioWare team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect2
or visit http://masseffect.bioware.com/.
* On Xbox 360 platform according to Metacritic.com as of June
11, 2010.
About BioWare
BioWare develops high quality console, PC and online role-playing games,
focused on rich stories, unforgettable characters and vast worlds to
discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's most
critically acclaimed titles, including Baldur's Gate(TM), Neverwinter
Nights(TM), Star Wars(R): Knights of the Old Republic(TM), Jade
Empire(TM) and Mass Effect(TM). BioWare operates in Edmonton
(Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec) and Austin (Texas). BioWare's
announced projects include the dark heroic fantasy game Dragon Age:
Origins, as well as Mass Effect 2(TM), the epic sequel to Mass
Effect, and the story-driven massively multiplayer online game, Star
Wars(R): The Old Republic(TM). In 2008, BioWare was acquired by
Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher.
For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com;
to join the millions of fans already registered on our community, go to http://social.bioware.com.
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 SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2010,
EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold
more than one million units. 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.
BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or
registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing)
Ltd. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and
POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in
the U.S. and/or other countries. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the
Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks are the property of
their respective owners.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
Electronic Arts
Cindy Lum, 650-628-3835
Senior Publicist
clum@ea.com
or
Andrew Wong, 650-628-2781
Sr. PR Manager
anwong@ea.com
or
47 Communications
For Electronic Arts
Brian Rubin, 310-658-1200
bioware@fortyseven.com
Copyright Business Wire 2010