Groundbreaking MMORPG from Legendary Developers at BioWare Set for
Global Launch in 2011
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Lucasfilm Ltd, announced today an
updated global publishing agreement for the highly anticipated massively
multiplayer online videogame Star Wars®: The Old Republic™.
With this new agreement, certain publishing, marketing and distribution
responsibilities previously designated to LucasArts will shift to EA, so
that all publishing, marketing and distribution responsibilities can be
centralized for efficiency. Lucasfilm will continue serving as a key
partner, collaborating on design and marketing, and as a licensor of the
property. Star Wars: The Old Republic is designed to redefine the
MMO category by introducing BioWare's signature storytelling and rich,
emotional human performances to the genre. Financial terms were not
disclosed.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the most highly-anticipated
videogames of 2011, winning over 60 awards at industry tradeshows around
the world including the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles and
Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. The game is breaking new ground in the
genre by building on the traditional MMO gameplay pillars of combat,
exploration and character progression, and adding a fourth dimension to
the experience — story. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, players
will explore an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader
when war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the
galaxy. Players choose to play as Jedi, Sith, or a variety of other
classic Star Wars roles, defining their personal story and
determining their path down the light or dark side of the Force. Along
the way, players will befriend courageous companions who will fight at
their side or possibly betray them, based on the players' actions.
Players can also choose to team up with friends to battle enemies and
overcome incredible challenges using dynamic Star Wars combat.
For more information on Star Wars: The Old Republic, please visit http://starwarstheoldrepublic.com,
follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/swtor
or "Like" Star Wars: The Old Republic on Facebook at http://facebook.com/starwarstheoldrepublic.
ABOUT LUCASFILM LTD.
Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the world's leading film and entertainment
companies. Founded by George Lucas in 1971, it is a privately held,
fully-integrated entertainment company. In addition to its
motion-picture and television production operations, the company's
global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound,
serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for
visual-effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer
and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucas
Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for
Lucasfilm's entertainment properties; Lucasfilm Animation, which is
currently producing content for film and television, including Star
Wars: The Clone Wars, a CG-animated half-hour television series; and
Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm's
entertainment properties and businesses. Additionally, Lucasfilm
Singapore produces digital animated content for film and television, as
well as visual effects for feature films and multi-platform games.
Lucasfilm's motion-picture productions include three of the 20 biggest
box-office hits of all time and have received 19 Oscars and more than 60
Academy Award nominations. Lucasfilm's television projects have won 12
Emmy Awards. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif.
LucasArts, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and
publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game
console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco,
Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com,
LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive
element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment
company.
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™, Neverwinter
Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, Jade
Empire™, Mass Effect™ and Dragon Age™. BioWare
operates in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), Austin
(Texas), Fairfax (Virginia) and Galway (Ireland). Currently announced
projects at BioWare include the development of ongoing downloadable
content for Mass Effect 2, one of the highest rated video games
of all time, Dragon Age 2, the highly anticipated sequel to
2009's "RPG of the Year" Dragon Age: Origins, and the
story-driven massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars®: The
Old Republic™. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts,
a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. For more
information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com,
or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biofeed.
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™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. 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.
LucasArts and the LucasArts logo are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm
Ltd. © 2010 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. & ®
or TM as indicated. All rights reserved. BioWare and the BioWare logo
are trademarks or registered trademarks of EA International (Studio and
Publishing) Ltd.
EA Games Label
Tammy Schachter, 650-628-7223
Vice President, PR
tschachter@ea.com
Andrew
Wong, 650-628-2781
Sr. PR Manager
awong@ea.com
or
Lucasfilm
Ltd.
Emilie Nicks, 415-623-1962
Director, Corporate
Communications
emilie.nicks@lucasfilm.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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