Darkspore Released in North America, Worldwide on Friday

EA and Maxis have announced the expected North American release of Darkspore, with a worldwide release planned for Friday, April 29th. If you’ve been looking for a co-op action RPG to keep you occupied until the release of Dungeon Siege III and Diablo III, this should do the trick:

The press release to follow:

DARKSPORE, A NEW BREED OF ONLINE ACTION-RPG, NOW AVAILABLE
PC Exclusive Released in North America; Available Worldwide on April 29
REDWOOD CITY, CA. April 26, 2011 Dive into epic levels of customization, vast hero collection, and intense combat where every choice changes the fight! MaxisTM, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, today announced that DarksporeTM is available at retail on Windows PC in stores throughout North America and via digital download. Darkspore is an online* action RPG in which players battle co-operatively across alien worlds against a deadly foe, as well as test their skills in multiplayer matches against players around the globe.
(The team set out with the goal of bringing something new and unique to the action RPG genre, and Darkspore has accomplished that,) said Lucy Bradshaw, General Manager of Maxis Studio. (Darkspore’s Creature Creator technology, a first for the genre, provides players with unprecedented creative control over the look of their heroes while also determining in-game strengths and weaknesses. The gameplay experience is different for each person based on the individual choices that are made. The Creature Creator technology, combined with dynamic enemy AI and both co-op multiplayer and a number of PvP options, has resulted in one our most exciting offerings to date. We can’t wait to see what players do with the game now that it’s in their hands.)
Unlike any other action RPG, Darkspore enables players to collect an arsenal of living weapons – genetic heroes with different combat abilities – and upgrade them with tens of thousands of collectible body parts and armor. With three distinct classes, five different genetic hero types, and an almost limitless number of customization options based on loot collected throughout the campaign, players can create any number of awesome Heroes with which to do battle. Utilizing technology from the award-winning Spore Creature Editor, players can modify heroes and their respective stats, in order to improve skill sets as well as changing the overall look of the three-Hero squad.
Join forces with up to three friends to play co-operatively through the campaign, or challenge other online players in 1v1 or 2v2 player vs. player modes. Developed by Maxis, Darkspore is now available for Windows PC.
*Conditions and Restrictions apply. Please see back of pack for details.
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 SPORTSTM, EATM, EA MobileTM and POGOTM. 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.