Mass Effect 2 Website Relaunched, BioWare Community ‘Explodes’

BioWare has announced that a brand new Mass Effect 2 website will be launched later today, and that their social network is now the highest trafficked area of EA’s entire web presence. First, the announcement:

Tomorrow’s surprise, the revamp to the Mass Effect website, is looking really cool and we hope you like the new layout. Come back and see the Mass Effect 2 website tomorrow for the new look.

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It will be later today, but we don’t have an eta. Stay tuned.

And then the press release:

BIOWARE COMMUNITY EXPLODES WITH NEW FANS OF DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS AND MASS EFFECT 2

BioWare Shatters Site Traffic and New User Registrations

Edmonton, Alberta (November 24, 2009) Join the BioWare nation! Leading video game developer BioWareâ„¢, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that it has set a new record for site traffic at DragonAge.com and new user registrations at its social networking site, Social.Bioware.com. With the release of Dragon Ageâ„¢: Origins, the BioWare community has grown to a record 5 million registered users, propelled by outstanding word-of-mouth buzz amongst fans of the 90-rated role-playing game. As of October 13, 2009, DragonAge.com became the most highly trafficked web site in the EA network in 2009, including the main hub, EA.com. Dragon Age fans also drove the game’s Facebook® fan page to 30,000 fans since the page launched in June 2009, making it the fastest-growing EA property on Facebook a remarkable feat for a new original intellectual property. The soon-to-be-released Mass Effectâ„¢ 2 saw a 33% increase in site traffic with the announcement of the Collectors’ Edition on November 4th, and a release of a video featuring the enemies of Mass Effect 2 on November 5th. Today, BioWare is re-launching MassEffect.com with a new design and more connectivity to BioWare’s social networking community at Social.BioWare.com, which has registered over 500K sign-ups in just five weeks, since its launch on October 13, 2009.

(We want to thank our fans for their enthusiasm and ongoing support. The passion within the community is not only helping drive momentum for Dragon Age referrals but our actively engaged fan base is eager for future content releases, which we are committed to deliver,) said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. (We could not be more excited about the outstanding community growth. The connection we are fostering with our fans is direct and personal. This tremendous community will help set the stage for an incredible Mass Effect 2 launch on January 26th.)

Dragon Age: Origins is an epic RPG where players take on the role of a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians. Now, as a rising evil threatens to destroy all life, it is up to players to unite the shattered lands and slay the corrupted dragon known as the Archdemon. To restore peace, players must make ruthless decisions and be willing to sacrifice their friends and loved ones for the greater good. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dragonage or for more information about Dragon Age, go to http://dragonage.bioware.com/.

Mass Effect 2 is an emotionally charged shooter/RPG set in a vast science-fiction universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players will once again step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, commanding their crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich futuristic storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, the game delivers an unparalleled cinematic experience. Mass Effect 2 will be available on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. The Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will retail at an MSRP of $69.99 on Xbox 360 and $59.99 on PC. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect2 or for more information about Mass Effect 2, go to http://masseffect.bioware.com/.

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 Gateâ„¢, Neverwinter Nightsâ„¢, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republicâ„¢, Jade Empireâ„¢, Mass Effectâ„¢ and Dragon Age: Origins BioWare operates in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec) and Austin (Texas). BioWare’s upcoming projects include Mass Effect 2â„¢, the epic sequel to Mass Effect, and the story-driven massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars®: The Old Republicâ„¢. 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 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: EAâ„¢, EA SPORTSâ„¢, EA Mobileâ„¢ and POGOâ„¢. 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.