BioWare Launches Character Creator and Social Network for Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator and BioWare Social Network Now Available with Tools to Create a Player Character and Share Online Before the Game Launches

EDMONTON, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced the release of the Dragon Age™: Origins Character Creator and BioWare Social Network in North America and Europe. The BioWare Social Network will provide a destination for players of Dragon Age: Origins on any platform to upload screenshots, game data and story information to share with other community members as they progress through the dark and epic journey. The free* to download Character Creator allows players to create and customize a player character on the PC and then upload their character data and avatar online to the BioWare Social Network before Dragon Age: Origins launches. The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator will provide players of Dragon Age: Origins with the tools to create a character with a nearly endless amount of options.

The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator and BioWare Social Network gives gamers a chance to kick start their adventure by creating a character and unique avatar online to reflect their in-game personality and share it with the Dragon Age: Origins community. The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator also allows players to save their handmade character to use when the PC game launches in November. This stand alone application is now available free of charge exclusively on the PC at: www.dragonage.com

“We want to fully immerse players into the world of Dragon Age: Origins and the Character Creator and BioWare Social Network allows us to do just that,” said Fernando Melo, Producer, BioWare. “This is a great way for fans to connect, create and share their character creations now and in game experiences when the game launches. The creation and connection possibilities are nearly endless.”

In Dragon Age: Origins, players take the role of a Grey Warden, one of the last of an ancient order of guardians. Now, as a rising evil threatens to destroy all life, it is up to players to unite the shattered lands and slay the corrupted dragon known as the Archdemon. To restore peace, players must make ruthless decisions and be willing to sacrifice their friends and loved ones for the greater good of mankind.

Dragon Age: Origins will be released on November 3rd in North America and November 6th in Europe on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. The PlayStation®3 version will follow later in November. Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB and 18+ by PEGI.

Players can get more information on Dragon Age: Origins or sign up for the BioWare Social Network at: www.dragonage.com.

*Internet connection required.

About BioWare

BioWare develops computer, console, handheld, mobile 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 Gate™ and Neverwinter Nights™ series, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™ and Sonic™ Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (for the Nintendo DS™). Original BioWare-created intellectual properties include Jade Empire™ and the 2007 Game of the Year, Mass Effect™. With studios in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), and Austin (Texas), BioWare is hard at work on the epic fantasy roleplaying game, Dragon Age™: Origins, Mass Effect 2™, the epic sequel to Mass Effect, and the story-driven massively multiplayer game, Star Wars®: The Old Republic™, as well as several unannounced projects. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), 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: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA MobileTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. 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.

BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks or registered trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and used. “PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.