2007-02-24 03:52:26 2, count 'em, 2 Mass Effect novels coming soon

http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/press_releases...

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:
Matt Atwood, Senior PR Manager, BioWare Corp.
Del Rey Acquires Prequel Novel to BioWare's Highly-Anticipated Video Game, Mass Effect
New York, NY (February 21, 2007) - Del Rey, an imprint of Random House Inc., announced today the acquisition of MASS EFFECT: REVELATION by Drew Karpyshyn, the prequel novel to the award-winning video game from BioWare. Additionally, there will be another novel set in the world of MASS EFFECT. MASS EFFECT: REVOLUTION is authored by Drew Karpyshyn, the lead writer of the MASS EFFECT video game.

In MASS EFFECT: REVELATION, commander and Alliance war hero David Anderson investigates the remains of a top secret military research station; smoking ruins littered with bodies and unanswered questions. Partnered with a rogue alien agent he can't trust and pursued by an assassin he can't escape, Anderson battles impossible odds on uncharted worlds to uncover a sinister conspiracy.

Del Rey editor Keith Clayton says "We're excited to be working on original MASS EFFECT novels with BioWare, whose track record of successful and high-quality video games speaks for itself. And between Drew's close involvement with the MASS EFFECT IP and his ability to tell an engaging story, the novels will draw fans even further into the rich world of MASS EFFECT."

"We're excited to be working with Del Ray Books on expanding the Mass Effect universe," said Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare Corp. "We are thrilled to have Drew writing the book as he has the knowledge and skills to make a great novel."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Drew Karpyshyn is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, and several other fantasy and science fiction novels. He is also an award-winning writer/designer for the game company BioWare, where he was lead writer on Mass Effect and the popular Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ video game. He lives in Canada's hinterlands with his loving wife, Jen, and their cat.

ABOUT MASS EFFECT:
The galaxy is trapped in an endless cycle of extinction. Every 50,000 years, an ancient machine race invades the galaxy. With ruthless efficiency, the machines wipe out all advanced organic civilization. They leave behind only the scattered ruins of technology, destroying all evidence of their own existence. Few believe this ancient legend. You, however, know it to be true. The fight to stop this extinction event has become the most important mission in the galaxy.

Mass Effect, rated as the number one most anticipated game of 2007 by IGN Xbox 360, is currently in development for Xbox 360™ by BioWare Corp., a leading video game developer.

ABOUT DEL REY:
Del Rey Books was founded in 1977 as a division of Ballantine Books under the guidance of the renowned Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, Lester del Rey. Del Rey publishes the best of modern fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history. In 2004 it expanded by launching Del Rey Manga, which has grown to be a major force in the U.S. graphic-novel field.

About BioWare|Pandemic Studios
BioWare/Pandemic Studios was formed through the fusion of two industry powerhouses and private equity firm, Elevation Partners. A leader in the action/adventure category, Pandemic joined forces in 2005 with BioWare, a company known for its role-playing games rich in story and character. Co-equal and complementary, the newly partnered video game studios are working both in tandem and separately to develop new, original titles as well as continuing to leverage the licensed franchises and owned-IP each is known for including: Mercenaries™, Destroy All Humans!™, Full Spectrum Warrior™, and Star Wars® Battlefront™ II from Pandemic and Mass Effect™, Dragon Age™, Baldur's Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ and Jade Empire™ from BioWare. Focused on next-generation platforms to create bold new concepts in entertainment, BioWare/Pandemic's studios are located in Los Angeles, California; Brisbane, Australia; Austin, Texas; and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. For more information, please visit bioware.pandemicstudios.com.

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Halle Berry: Delgado i am feeling really reall dirty tonight, shall i call Jessica Simpson for a threesome?

Delgado: HALLE what have i told you about bothering me when i'm playing Mass Effect!!! now get out and dont come back for 2 months!! (Slams door

2007-02-24 03:58:13

good shiet, I loved Path of Destruction, this one should be good as well.

thanks DC

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The Black Album

2007-02-24 04:00:48 In reply to kenshin2418 (2007-02-24 03:58:13)

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Halle Berry: Delgado i am feeling really reall dirty tonight, shall i call Jessica Simpson for a threesome?

Delgado: HALLE what have i told you about bothering me when i'm playing Mass Effect!!! now get out and dont come back for 2 months!! (Slams door

2007-02-24 04:04:18

hmm they don't happen to mention a release date? :(


Eh, I'm guessing it will coincide with the games release

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The Black Album

2007-02-24 04:05:46 In reply to kenshin2418 (2007-02-24 04:04:18)

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Halle Berry: Delgado i am feeling really reall dirty tonight, shall i call Jessica Simpson for a threesome?

Delgado: HALLE what have i told you about bothering me when i'm playing Mass Effect!!! now get out and dont come back for 2 months!! (Slams door

2007-02-24 04:11:12

If it does come out around the same time as the game, I may just read it before I start the game, just so I can appreciate the story more, but it all depends on when it actually comes out. If it comes out a few weeks or months after the game, then lol, I'm sorry. Can't do it :P

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The Black Album

2007-02-24 04:11:57

quote posted by Drew Karpyshyn

Drew Karpyshyn
Lead Writer
Joined: 17 Oct 2001 Posted: Friday, 23 February 2007 10:07PM

Cool - I finally get to officially talk about Revelation!

(Of course, a lot of people already knew about it through their brilliant powers of deduction...)

I'll try to answer some questions here without giving too much away. I'm using the scattergun approach, so if you have a specific question post it here and I'll answer it if I can.

As has been noted, Revelation is a prequel to the story of Commander Shepard as told in the Mass Effect game. It doesn't tell the story of Shepard - we let *you* shape Shepard's story in the game - but it does tell the story behind a lot of important characters Shepard meets and deals with. (As people have already figured out, the turian Spectre Saren Arterius figures prominently in both the book and the game.)

You don't need to read the book to play the game, and you don't need to play the game to read the book. Each story stands on its own, though there are a lot of thematic and IP threads that link the two.

The novel was a good way for us to develop some of the background to the main story and give fans a chance to delve a little deeper into the characters, culture and technology of the Mass Effect IP.

Is it any good? Wow - talk about a loaded question. For the most part my books have been well received by readers (you can see the reviews on amazon or check out my homepage at www.drewkarpyshyn.com for review links). Of course, readers have to form their own opinion. But I think Revelation captures the spirit of Mass Effect, introduces a new world/galaxy/universe to the public and tells a gripping, fast-paced story with interesting and compelling characters. (Wait... did I use "extreme" in that desciption? No. Hmmm... maybe needs a rewrite.)

I think the cover you see now is actually the final cover... but even I'm not 100% sure on that.

The book is scheduled for a May 1st release, and that isn't changing. How does that relate to the release date of the game? Well, let me tell you... oh... hi, Chris. Wait, no... I wasn't going to... OH GOD, NOT THE LEECHES!!

Drew


2con DREW post:

Drew Karpyshyn
Lead Writer


Joined: 17 Oct 2001 Posted: Friday, 23 February 2007 10:47PM
Chris has graciously removed the leeches and allowed me to return to answer some questions. (Though he mentioned something about scorpions if I'm not careful...)

Revan3846 and Wyndom
The second book will be released next year, and will bridge the story events of the first and second Mass Effect games. Like the first book, the second book will be a stand alone story. However, it will have ties to characters and events from the on-going overarching plot of the Mass Effect trilogy.

monoxism
Most of the book is set in 2165, 18 years before the events of the game and shortly after humanity has an officially recognized embassy on the Citadel.
The book will flesh out some of the events mentioned in our galactic codex here:
Click Here
It will give you a better understanding of the state of humanity and the galaxy during the time of the book and you'll see how it has evolved by the time of the game. However, it's not a chronological history of the ME universe.

Drew
Edited By Drew Karpyshyn on 02/23/07 22:47

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Halle Berry: Delgado i am feeling really reall dirty tonight, shall i call Jessica Simpson for a threesome?

Delgado: HALLE what have i told you about bothering me when i'm playing Mass Effect!!! now get out and dont come back for 2 months!! (Slams door

2007-02-24 05:05:04

"he was lead writer on Mass Effect and the popular Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™"

This man is unto me a video game writing god.

2007-02-24 09:33:08

I am hoping for a great Collector's Edition, because I have pre-ordered it. I want concept arts, soundtrack, trailer, exclusive wallpapers, themes...etc.

I dont like to read books, but good stuff they are doing here.
One of the best games that are coming out.

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This will not change until, Mass Effect is out in stores
Latest release date, May 22nd!
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*A NEW FORM OF CHANGE*
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2007-02-25 10:19:12

there will be ... there better be..

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Halle Berry: Delgado i am feeling really reall dirty tonight, shall i call Jessica Simpson for a threesome?

Delgado: HALLE what have i told you about bothering me when i'm playing Mass Effect!!! now get out and dont come back for 2 months!! (Slams door

2007-02-25 11:00:38 In reply to dcdelgado (2007-02-25 10:19:12)

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This will not change until, Mass Effect is out in stores
Latest release date, May 22nd!
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*A NEW FORM OF CHANGE*
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2007-02-25 11:34:42 In reply to Sath (2007-02-25 11:00:38)

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Halle Berry: Delgado i am feeling really reall dirty tonight, shall i call Jessica Simpson for a threesome?

Delgado: HALLE what have i told you about bothering me when i'm playing Mass Effect!!! now get out and dont come back for 2 months!! (Slams door

2007-02-25 12:09:23

March is in Q1, and they said Q2 2007, so I am sure they will announce it like 1 month before, or 1½.

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This will not change until, Mass Effect is out in stores
Latest release date, May 22nd!
-----------------------------------
*A NEW FORM OF CHANGE*
-----------------------------------