Star Wars: The Old Republic Expands to Four More Countries

As promised a couple of weeks ago, EA kicked over a press release this morning announcing that Star Wars: The Old Republic has officially luanched in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Singapore. I suspect we’ll be getting a subscriber update soon after this new influx:

STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC IS NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE  

SYDNEY, Australia March 1st, 2012 Today, BioWareâ„¢ a Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), is proud to turn on the servers for the critically-acclaimed Star Warsâ„¢: The Old Republicâ„¢ in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong & Singapore. Fans in those regions will now be able to experience the award-winning massively multiplayer online game that has captivated millions of fans worldwide on regional servers, giving them better game performance with decreased network latency. Australia’s AusGamers has scored the game at a 95%, saying The Old Republic is (arguably the most complete and polished MMO ever launched.)

(We have been incredibly pleased with the response to the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic from fans and critics, as players are finding that immersive story and personal choice are a real innovation for the genre,) said Dr. Greg Zeschuk, General Manager of the BioWare Label’s MMO Business Unit and Co-Founder of BioWare. (Just as important to our success has been the smoothness of our launch. Now after months of testing, we’re excited to be able to bring both a high quality game experience and service to our fans in the Asia Pacific region.)    

Players in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore will be able to choose from the Standard Edition ($79.99 AUD, $89.99 NZD, $389.00 HKD, $64.90 SGD) and the Digital Deluxe Edition ($89.99 AUD, $99.99 NZD, $465.00 HKD, $76.90 SGD) of Star Wars: The Old Republic at participating retailers. The Digital Deluxe Edition is exclusive to Origin.com.  Players in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore will also be eligible for the Founder’s medal*, a distinction given to the early members of The Old Republic community.

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 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.

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 by subscribing** to the ongoing service.  Subscribers will also receive ongoing content such as the recently released Game Update 1.1, Rise of the Rakghouls.  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. Press assets for Star Wars: The Old Republic are available at www.info.ea.com.

*GOOD ONLY FOR PURCHASES OF STAR WARSâ„¢: THE OLD REPUBLICâ„¢ WITH REDEMPTION OF A PURCHASED GAME TIME CODE OR BILLING OF AN ACTIVE GAME RECURRING SUBSCRIPTION WITH AN APPROVED PAYMENT METHOD. VALID WHEREVER GAME IS SOLD. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. CUSTOMERS WILL ACCESS THE ITEM IN-GAME. VIRTUAL ITEM ONLY. ITEM WILL BE APPLIED TO ALL CHARACTERS UNDER USER’S ACCOUNT. PLEASE ALLOW 7 DAYS FOR NOTIFICATION OF DELIVERABLES.
AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND OFFER EXPIRES APRIL 30, 2012 AT 12:01AM EDT; 2:00AM NZDT
HONG KONG and SINGAPORE OFFER EXPIRES APRIL 29, 2012 AT 9:01PM HKT, 9:01PM SGT

** SUBSCRIPTION PRICING IN AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND, HONG KONG  AND SINGAPORE WILL BE $14.99 USD PER MONTH, $41.97 USD FOR THREE MONTHS ($13.99 USD PER MONTH) OR $77.94 FOR SIX MONTHS ($12.99 USD 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 Gateâ„¢, Neverwinter Nightsâ„¢, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republicâ„¢, Jade Empireâ„¢, Mass Effectâ„¢ and Dragon Ageâ„¢.  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 SPORTSâ„¢ 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 Simsâ„¢, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speedâ„¢, Battlefieldâ„¢, and Mass Effectâ„¢. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.