From Midnight Store Openings to the Opening Bell of the NASDAQ,
Gamers and Star Wars™ Fans Celebrate the Start of their Personal Star
Wars Saga Online Today
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
A stunning Star Wars universe. Thousands of hours of gameplay.
Gripping stories. Engrossing dialogue performed by hundreds of talented
voice actors. BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA),
today is proud to turn on the servers for one of the most anticipated
games of all time, Star Wars: The Old Republic, winner of over
100 awards from critics around the world. Last night, fans lined up
around the block on the eve of launch at retail outlets in New York,
Paris, London, Austin and other cities across the world, celebrating the
debut of the game with gatherings complete with costumed characters and
memorabilia giveaways. This morning, EA, BioWare and LucasArts continue
the launch celebration by hosting the opening ceremony and ringing the
bell at the NASDAQ stock exchange. The ceremony can be viewed at http://nasdaq.com.
As the servers go live and fans flood into the game, BioWare customer
support teams are managing the network infrastructure to ensure every
player has a smooth, easy and fun experience getting into the game.
"Today represents an amazing milestone for BioWare, EA and Star Wars
fans everywhere and we are confident it has been worth the wait," said
Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder, BioWare and General Manager, EA's BioWare
Label. "The support and resources going into Star Wars: The Old
Republic are not ending today. The innovations we're bringing to the
category are just the start of a journey and ongoing investment in our
players that will grow, evolve and transform based on player feedback
over the weeks, months and years ahead."
Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founder, BioWare and General Manager of the BioWare
Label's MMO Business Unit, added: "The addition of story and personal
choice to the MMO genre is going to fundamentally change the way people
perceive MMOs moving forward, especially when it is experienced at its
fullest potential with high-quality writing and voice acting. We are
extremely happy with where The Old Republic stands at launch and we
can't wait to grow the game with our community to make it even better in
the future."
Star Wars: The Old Republic is a story-driven, massively
multiplayer online (MMO) game from BioWare and LucasArts, breaking new
ground in online gaming by delivering high quality, fully voiced
storylines with personal choice and consequences. Set thousands of years
before the classic Star Wars movies, players will be immersed as
they team up with friends online to fight in heroic battles reminiscent
of the films, exploring a galaxy of vibrant planets and experiencing
visceral Star Wars combat. Players will be asked to join forces
with either the Galactic Republic or Sith Empire and choose one of eight
iconic Star Wars characters, including the Jedi Knight, Jedi
Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty
Hunter and Imperial Agent. Set against a sweeping musical score, Star
Wars: The Old Republic will be the most emotionally engaging online
gaming experience ever.
Included with the purchase of every copy of Star Wars: The Old
Republic is 30 days of access to the game, after which players can
continue to play through subscribing* at either $14.99 per month, $41.97
for 3 months ($13.99 per month), or $77.94 for six months ($12.99 per
month). For more information on Star Wars: The Old Republic,
please visit www.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.
* Subscription pricing in the United Kingdom will be £8.99 per month,
£25.17 for three months (£8.39 per month) or £46.14 for six months
(£7.69 per month). Subscription pricing in Europe will be €12.99 per
month, €35.97 for three months (€11.99 per month) or €65.94 for six
months (€10.99 per month).
About LucasArts
Founded in 1982 by filmmaker George Lucas, LucasArts is a leading
publisher and developer of interactive entertainment. With development
facilities in San Francisco and Singapore, LucasArts leverages the
global skills, technology and resources of the Lucasfilm family of
companies -- including visual effects leader Industrial Light & Magic,
Lucasfilm Animation and Skywalker Sound -- in addition to strategic
partnerships with best-in-class external partners, to further the
boundaries of game development. LucasArts is dedicated to delivering
deeply immersive, visually spectacular and engaging experiences that
inspire and amaze generations.
About BioWare
The BioWare Label is a division of EA which crafts high quality
multiplatform role-playing, MMO, social, play-for-free and strategy
games, focused on emotionally engaging, rich stories with unforgettable
characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created
some of the world's most critically acclaimed titles and franchises,
including Baldur's Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®:
Knights of the Old Republic™, Jade Empire™, Mass Effect™
and Dragon Age™. BioWare currently operates in eight locations
across the world, including Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal
(Quebec, Canada), Austin (Texas), Fairfax (Virginia), San Francisco
(California), Los Angeles (California), Sacramento (California) and
Galway (Ireland).
In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global
interactive entertainment publisher. In 2011 EA created the BioWare
Label, alongside EA Games, EA SPORTS™ and EA Play. For more information
on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com,
or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bioware.
To join the millions of fans already registered with the BioWare
community, go to http://social.bioware.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both
packaged goods products and online services delivered through
Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and
tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in
75 countries.
In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for
critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The
Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass
Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
LucasArts, the LucasArts logo, STAR WARS and related
properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries
of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © 2011 Lucasfilm Entertainment
Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. BioWare and the
BioWare logo are trademarks of EA International (Studio and Publishing)
Ltd. EA and the EA logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Electronic Arts
Alana Logan, 512-287-7732
Publicist
alogan@bioware.com
Andrew
Wong, 650-628-2781
Director of PR
anwong@ea.com
Tammy
Levine, 650-628-7223
VP, Worldwide PR
tlevine@ea.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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