If youre a Mass Effect fan, there's some news today that will either make you jump with joy or die a little inside, which is entirely dependent on whether or not you're also an Anime fan.
In a press release made earlier today, EA announced that it has signed a deal with FUNimation Entertainment to produce a new anime feature film adaptation for BioWare's popular Mass Effect series. Tokyo-based T.O. Entertainment, an international anime video feature film production company, has also signed on as a co-producer for the video.
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style="font-style: italic;">Mass Effect makes its way into the world of anime.
The premise for the anime movie is unclear as to whether it will focus on the adventures of Commander Shepard and his team or a new band of adventurers based within the Mass Effect universe.
Legendary Pictures acquired the rights to produce a live-action Mass Effect movie last year, but before we get to see Commander Shepard and crew on the big screen, we'll likely have the anime Mass Effect to keep us occupied. The Mass Effect anime movie is scheduled to release in summer 2012. IMDB lists the live-action Mass Effect with an unconfirmed 2012 release.
Check out the full press release after the break for more details about the upcoming Mass Effect anime movie.
EA AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE MASS EFFECT ANIME MOVIE DEAL
Home Video Adaptation of Award-Winning Sci-Fi Game Scheduled for Release in 2012
Guildford, UK.- April 7, 2011 BioWare, a division of leading video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and FUNimation® Entertainment, the leading distributor of Japanese animation in North America, announced today an agreement to create an anime feature film adapted from one of the video game industrys most revered franchises, Mass Effect. Tokyo-based anime and international feature film production company T.O Entertainment, Inc. has signed on as a co-producer on the video. Based on the Mass Effect universe, the anime video will tell the tale of an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets.
Casey Hudson of BioWare, executive producer of the Mass Effect series, will serve as executive producer on the film, along with FUNimation President and CEO Gen Fukunaga and Director of Original Entertainment Chris Moujaes and T.O Entertainments CEO Takeichi Honda and Yui Shibata.
"Over the last few years, we have revealed different pieces of the Mass Effect world through different media. Extending the story through an anime medium is another amazing opportunity for us, said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer for the Mass Effect series. "Partnering with FUNimation ensures that we will bring this rich universe to life with the utmost quality and the same attention to detail that the Mass Effect games are known for.
"It is thanks to the enormous and passionate Mass Effect fan base that this movie is made possible," said Gen Fukunaga, President & CEO of FUNimation. With production underway on the Dragon Age video, we are excited to team up with another BioWare team to add an exciting new chapter to this vast sci-fi world.
Production of the Mass Effect anime movie has already begun. Digital and home video releases are scheduled for the summer of 2012.
The original Mass Effect game and its sequel Mass Effect 2 have received over 250 awards and 100 perfect 10 scores from critics worldwide. Mass Effect 2 is available now for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. Stay tuned for more news about the continuation of Commander Shepards adventure as BioWare will release more information about Mass Effect 3 soon. For more information on the game, please visit http://masseffect.bioware.com/ and follow the development team at twitter.com/masseffect2 or at http://www.facebook.com/masseffect.
About BioWare
BioWare develops high quality console, PC and online role-playing games, focused on rich stories, unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's most critically acclaimed titles, including Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic , Jade Empire, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. BioWare operates in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), Austin (Texas), Fairfax (Virginia) and Galway (Ireland). Currently announced projects at BioWare include Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age II, and the story-driven massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars®: The Old Republic . In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biofeed. To join the millions of fans already registered on our community, go to http://social.bioware.com.
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 SPORTS, EA, EA Mobile and POGO. 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.co.uk. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.eagames.co.uk/press.
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