SEGA
ANNOUNCES
BIOWARE WILL
CREATE SONIC
ROLE PLAYING
GAME FOR THE
NINTENDO DS
SAN
FRANCISCO &
LONDON (June
21, 2007) --
SEGA® of
America,
Inc., SEGA®
Europe,
Ltd., and
Canada-based
developer
studio
BioWare®
Corp. today
announced a
partnership
to create a
new video
game based
on the
classic SEGA
flagship
icon Sonic
The
Hedgehog.
The exact
name of the
game is
undetermined,
and it will
ship in
2008.
"BioWare is
one of the
hottest
names in RPG
development
in the
world," said
Simon
Jeffery,
President
and COO,
SEGA of
America,
Inc.
"Everyone at
SEGA has
huge
confidence
that Sonic
is in the
safest of
hands, and
that BioWare
can create
the ultimate
handheld RPG
experience
for gamers
of all
ages."
BioWare is
the
award-winning
independent
developer
that has
created some
of the
world's
best-selling
titles
including
the Baldur's
GateT and
Neverwinter
NightsT
series, the
2003 Game of
the Year,
Star Wars®:
Knights of
the Old
RepublicT
and the 2005
RPG of the
Year, Jade
Empire.T
BioWare is
currently
developing
one of the
most
anticipated
next-generation
titles of
2007, Mass
Effect.T
"We're
thrilled to
be working
with SEGA on
Sonic, one
of the
industry's
most
enduring and
compelling
icons," said
Greg Zeschuk,
president of
BioWare. "As
huge fans of
Sonic
ourselves,
we're
committed to
delivering a
truly
amazing
story-driven
experience
within the
Sonic
universe,
focusing on
capturing
the
character's
broad appeal
and placing
him in a
completely
original
adventure,"
added Ray
Muzyka,
chief
executive
officer of
BioWare.
The
relationship
with BioWare
reinforces
SEGA's
increased
emphasis on
Western
content
development
for Western
audiences.
In the past
few years
SEGA has
announced
partnerships
with
developers
Bizarre
Creations,
Gas Powered
Games,
Monolith
Productions,
Obsidian
Entertainment,
Planet Moon
Studios,
Pseudo
Interactive
and Silicon
Knights.
SEGA has
also
acquired
development
studios The
Creative
Assembly,
Secret Level
and Sports
Interactive.
About SEGA®
of America,
Inc.:
SEGA of
America,
Inc. is the
American arm
of Tokyo,
Japan-based
SEGA
Corporation,
a worldwide
leader in
interactive
entertainment
both inside
and outside
the home.
The company
develops,
publishes
and
distributes
interactive
entertainment
software
products for
a variety of
hardware
platforms
including
PC, wireless
devices, and
those
manufactured
by Nintendo,
Microsoft
and Sony
Computer
Entertainment
Inc. SEGA of
America's
Web site is
located at
www.sega.com
About SEGA®
Europe
Limited:
SEGA Europe
Limited is
the European
Distribution
arm of
Tokyo,
Japan-based
SEGA
Corporation,
and a
worldwide
leader in
interactive
entertainment
both inside
and outside
the home.
The company
distributes
interactive
entertainment
software
products for
a variety of
hardware
platforms
including
PC, wireless
devices, and
those
manufactured
by Nintendo,
Microsoft
and Sony
Computer
Entertainment
Europe. SEGA
Europe's web
site is
located at
www.sega-europe.com
About
BioWare
Corp.:
BioWare
Corp®. is an
electronic
entertainment
company
which
develops
computer,
console,
handheld and
online video
games
focused on
rich stories
and
memorable
characters.
Since 1995,
BioWare® has
created some
of the
world's
best-selling
titles
including
the
award-winning
Baldur's
GateT and
Neverwinter
NightsT
series, as
well as the
2003 Game of
the Year,
Star Wars®:
Knights of
the Old
RepublicT.
Original
BioWare-created
IPs include
the 2005 RPG
of the Year,
Jade EmpireT,
with
next-generation
titles Mass
EffectT and
Dragon AgeT
currently in
development.
With studios
in Edmonton,
Canada, and
Austin,
Texas,
BioWare is
also hard at
work on
several
unannounced
projects
including a
massively
multiplayer
online game.
Media
Inquiries
can be
directed to
Matt Atwood
(matwood@bioware.com).
For more
information
on BioWare,
visit
www.bioware.com
*BioWare,
BioWare
Corp., Mass
Effect,
Dragon Age
and Jade
Empire are
trademarks
or
registered
trademarks
owned by
BioWare
Corp. in the
U.S. and
other
countries.
All other
trademarks
and
copyrights
are the
property of
their
respective
owners. All
rights
reserved.