Mass Effect: Revelation Prequel Novel Announced

Del Ray Books has issued a press release announcing that they have acquired the rights to publish Mass Effect: Revelation, a prequel novel to BioWare's upcoming sci-fi RPG.
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 360â„¢ 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.