BioWare launches online store
Game developer to offer premium game content for sale over Internet
EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada, October 26, 2004 - BioWare Corp. today announced the launch of the BioWare Online Store, an internet-based marketplace located at http://store.bioware.com. The store will offer premium Neverwinter NightsTM game content. Neverwinter Nights has sold more than 2 million units worldwide and received numerous RPG of the Year and Game of the Year awards. The modules will be developed by BioWare staff, as well as by prominent members of the Neverwinter Nights fan community, and will be produced by BioWare and Atari, utilizing the Dungeons & Dragons® property under license from Hasbro and its subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast.
The premium modules will host a wide variety of features, including engrossing storylines, professional voice-over and musical scores, brand new in-game content, and much more. Many features have been chosen according to fan feedback, further signifying BioWare and Atari's commitment to the Neverwinter Nights franchise and its loyal and dedicated fanbase.
Three Neverwinter Nights modules will initially be available through the BioWare Online Store when it opens for business on November 10, 2004, with a plan in place to regularly produce and release additional content in the future. The three modules available at launch are:
Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker (Developed by BioWare designers Cori May and Dan Whiteside):
Embark on a journey that transcends the bounds of life and death with a loyal band of companions at your side. Evil lurks in a war-torn keep, and the souls of trusted companions must be sacrificed to unearth it. To uncover the truth, you must win the throne.
Neverwinter Nights: ShadowGuard (Developed by Ben "Altaris" McJunkin, developer of "Lone Wolf" series of Neverwinter Nights fan modules):
Your astonishing work at the Imperial Academy has drawn the attention of the Shadowguard, an elite group of secretive Imperial agents that know no failure. Your veil of comfort will soon be torn away and you will be left to solve the mystery of what lies ahead.
Neverwinter Nights: Witch's Wake 1 (Developed by BioWare designer Rob Bartel):
Recently remastered to bring it up-to-date with the latest new content, this new edition of the classic Hall of Fame module lays the official groundwork for the series. In the module's opening scene, you awake on a raging battlefield to bear witness to your prince's dying words: "Tell the king that she is dead." Those seven fateful words mark the start of a journey that will propel you from the edge of a dying world into its very heart.
"BioWare is already hard at work creating the next wave of premium Neverwinter Nights modules, including the continuation of the hit Witch's Wake series with Witch's Wake 2: The Witch Hunters," said Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Joint CEO of BioWare Corp. "We continue to work closely with contributors from the flourishing Neverwinter Nights fan community to create innovative products for release through the BioWare Store."
"We really want to let our tremendous fan community know that we are committed to supporting them and listening to their needs!" added Dr. Ray Muzyka, Joint CEO of BioWare Corp. "Fans want to see more official content for Neverwinter Nights, and we are delivering just that. We'll offer great new modules from BioWare designers, as well as prominent fan community figures, with all of the content produced and approved by BioWare."
More information can be found at the BioWare Online Store (http://store.bioware.com).
For More Information, Contact:
Tom Ohle, Public Relations Lead
Email: tom@bioware.com; Ph: 780.430.0164 ext 128; Cell: 780.699.7310
Teresa Cotesta, Public Relations Specialist
teresa@bioware.com; Ph: 780.430.0164 ext 165; Cell: 780.699.5919
Craig Priddle, Director of Marketing
craigp@bioware.com; Ph: 780.430.0164 ext 363; Cell: 780.777.2935
ABOUT BIOWARE
BioWare Corp. is an electronic entertainment company that develops computer and console games. BioWare's developers are currently hard at work on Jade EmpireTM, a BioWare-created intellectual property to be published by Microsoft for the Xbox in Q1 2005; and Dragon AgeTM, a PC RPG set in a brand new world created and owned by BioWare. BioWare is also developing its next-generation BioWare Eclipse EngineTM technology, as well as an unannounced next-generation title based on yet another BioWare-created intellectual property. BioWare has an online fan community consisting of more than 2 million registered users that connect to discuss the company's current and future games. Star Wars:® Knights of the Old RepublicTM, released July 18, 2003 for the Xbox and November 18, 2003 for PC, is currently enjoying critical praise and great commercial success with its opening weekend launch ending with Microsoft proclaiming the title as the fastest-selling Xbox game in history. Previously published projects include: the award-winning Neverwinter NightsTM series, the genre-defining Baldur's GateTM role-playing game series for the PC, MDKTM2 for Dreamcast and PC, MDKTM2: Armageddon for PlayStation®2 and Shattered SteelTM. BioWare information can be found online at www.bioware.com.
Dungeons & Dragons, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Hordes of the Underdark are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® Wizards.
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