Beta is officially over and the PlayStation 3 expansion of the EVE universe is now live with the launch of DUST 514. The mercs of the free-to-play MMOFPS are now fully joined with the EVE universe to help fight for control of worlds in the PC-based EVE Online through Planetary Conquest and FPS combat.

As part of today’s launch, CCP has made available three new bundles on the PSN Store to help new players start their careers as a merc in the EVE universe with the Mercenary Pack ($19.99), Veteran Pack ($49.99), and the Elite Pack ($99.99). Each pack comes with boosters, a given amount of Aurum in-game currency, and in-game items.

Visit the DUST 514 website to learn more about the MMOFPS tie-in of the EVE universe.

DUST 514 Launch Heralds New Era of First-Person Shooters

The Uprising Begins: PlayStation®3 Gamers Worldwide Gane the Power to Topple Empires, Free of Charge

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND – 2013.05.14 – CCP Games, the leading independent developer of massively multiplayer games, today launched DUST 514®, the world's first free-to-play, multiplayer first-person shooter on a console. The battle for dominance of the EVE Universe escalates to new heights today as DUST mercenaries forge their paths to fame and fortune in a PlayStation ®3 exclusive.

Launch is only the beginning of the journey for DUST 514 players. As with CCP’s first game, EVE Online®, DUST 514 is an ever-evolving game as a service, built on the technical foundation and experience CCP has gathered over the past decade. New features, content, and upgrades are planned for years to come, beginning with an update in June and additional major releases throughout 2013. All updates to DUST 514 come at no cost, truly keeping the game free-to-play for all players.

“DUST 514 has been forged by the willpower and skills of the players who have joined us on the journey to launch, and the talent and determination of our development teams around the world,” said CCP CEO Hilmar Veigar Pétursson. “We are now poised for the next phase of development of DUST 514 and the EVE Universe. We are off to a fantastic start, and ahead is the opportunity to expand even further what games can become. After a decade of preparing for this moment, we will at last see the emerging society of DUST players begin to fight gun-and-grenade for planetary dominance, alongside their EVE Online brethren. For all we have done so far, our best moments are yet to come.”

DUST 514 is a new breed of first-person shooter, which in addition to tight gunplay features a path to unlimited dropsuit fittings and customization options, taking the player to new dimensions of character progression. The end result is a unique tactical advantage that will allow mercenaries to push DUST 514 beyond the bounds set by the game’s creators, and arm them with the ability to impact their war on a galactic scale.

DUST 514 is also fully integrated with the notorious sci-fi setting of EVE Online, . Together, DUST 514 and EVE Online offer a combined sandbox of unprecedented intergalactic scale, with the outcome of ground battles impacting the persistent universe of EVE and shifting the tide of war for legions of participants. Mercenaries can gain advantage by coordinating with starship pilots in EVE Online, calling in devastating orbital strikes against opposing squads. amassive game universe that recently surpassed a half-million subscribers worldwide and which has been growing and expanding for a decade.

The fortunes of DUST 514 players will rise and fall as they align themselves with like-minded warriors to make their mark across the EVEUniverse. Players join forces with their fellow DUST mercenaries and EVE Online capsuleers to form player-run corporations and alliances, conquer planets and solar systems one battle at a time, and claim their own pieces of New Eden to serve the greater good – or their own ambitions!

Coinciding with the launch of DUST 514, CCP will be offering three new item bundles on the PSN Store and the Sony Entertainment Network Store:

• Mercenary Pack – An updated version of the popular open beta bundle that includes 40,000 Aurum to spend in-game, a 30-day skill booster (+50%), and exclusive gear.  ($19.99 / £15.99 / €19.99)
• Veteran Pack – Comes with dropsuits, boosters, 100,000 Aurum, a permanent Blood Raider Acolyte vehicle, a deadly sniper rifle, and more. ($49.99 / £39.99 / €49.99)
• Elite Pack - The ultimate in mercenary preparedness, the Elite Pack offers 200,000 Aurum, boosters, four dropsuits, multiple weapons, a permanent light attack vehicle, and a collection of Heavy Assault Vehicles. ($99.99 / £84.99 / €99.99)

The uprising of DUST 514’s mercenaries has begun, and their impact will leave New Eden forever altered.

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About DUST 514®

The first of its kind, DUST 514 (PlayStation®3) is a free-to-play, premium, massively multiplayer first-person shooter directly connected to the acclaimed science-fiction game EVE Online (PC/Mac). In DUST 514, players assume the role of deadly mercenaries who fight dynamic ground wars to control planets in the EVE Universe of New Eden. Players are armed with limitless customization options including weapons, vehicles, armor, and enhanced weapons, armor and vehicles. In DUST 514 every action has real consequences that ripple across a persistent universe of countless players worldwide. For more information, visit DUST514.com.

About CCP

CCP is the world’s leading independent developer of massively multiplayer games, and has been praised for its artistry, game design and unique player-driven, infinitely scalable storytelling narratives. CCP is the creator of the critically acclaimed science-fiction game EVE Online (PC/Mac), which is celebrating its unprecedented tenth consecutive year of subscriber growth. EVE Online is a massively multiplayer science-fiction universe in which hundreds of thousands of players carve out empires through galactic fleet battles and the use of economic warfare. DUST 514 (PlayStation®3) is a groundbreaking, free-to-play massively multiplayer online first-person shooter that is set in the EVE Universe and linked to EVE Online.  World of Darkness is a modern gothic horror massively multiplayer online role-playing game, based on the classic tabletop roleplaying game Vampire: the Masquerade. Founded and headquartered in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1997, CCP is privately held with additional offices in Atlanta, Newcastle, San Francisco, and Shanghai. For more information, visit www.ccpgames.com.