Star Wars: The Old Republic Expanding to Four More Countries on March 1st

Electronic Arts hit us up with a press release this afternoon announcing that BioWare Austin's Star Wars: The Old Republic will be powering on in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Singapore on March 1st, which gives you about two weeks to get in on the pre-order offers outlined below. Read on:
STAR WARSâ„¢: THE OLD REPUBLICâ„¢ LANDS IN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE ON MARCH 1

SYDNEY, Australia February 15, 2012 After a successful release in North America and Europe, BioWareâ„¢, a Label of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) announced today that the fastest growing subscription MMO ever, Star Warsâ„¢: The Old Republicâ„¢, will be officially launching in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore on March 1, 2012. Fans in those regions will be able to play the critically-acclaimed massively multiplayer online game on regional servers, enjoying the story-driven experience that has captivated gamers worldwide. Players in these countries who currently have or have had an active Star Wars: The Old Republic account prior to February 28, 2012 will have the opportunity to request a free character transfer for a limited time to an Asia Pacific server after the launch on March 1, 2012. All players who qualify for a character transfer will be notified in early March with more details.

(Our biggest priority for The Old Republic has always been to deliver a high quality product and high quality service and we are pleased with our results in North America and Europe,) said Dr. Greg Zeschuk, General Manager of the BioWare Label's MMO Business Unit and Co-Founder of BioWare. (We appreciate that our fans in these countries have been patient and we are excited to deliver this same great customer experience to players this March.)

BioWare and EA will also be offering players in the region an in-game color crystal to change their weapon effect as a pre-order incentive* for reserving a copy of the Standard Edition from participating local retailers. There are no participating retailers for pre-orders in Hong Kong and Singapore. Finally, players in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore will also be eligible for the Founder's medal**, a distinction given to the early members of The Old Republic community.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a story-driven, massively multiplayer online (MMO) game from BioWare and LucasArts, breaking new ground in online gaming by delivering high quality, fully-voiced storylines with personal choice and consequences. Set thousands of years before the classic Star Wars movies, players are immersed as they team up with friends online to fight in heroic battles reminiscent of the films, exploring a galaxy of vibrant planets, experiencing visceral Star Wars combat, all set to a sweeping musical score. Players are asked to join forces with either the Galactic Republic or Sith Empire and choose one of eight iconic Star Wars characters, including the Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent.

Players in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore will be able to choose from the Standard Edition ($79.99 AUD, $89.99 NZD, HK$389.00, S$64.00) and the Digital Deluxe Edition ($89.99 AUD, $99.99 NZD, HK$465.00, S$76.00) of Star Wars: The Old Republic at participating retailers. The Digital Deluxe Edition is exclusive to Origin.com. Included with the purchase of every copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic is 30 days of access to the game, after which players can continue to play by subscribing*** to the ongoing service. Subscribers will also receive ongoing content such as the recently released Game Update 1.1, Rise of the Rakghouls. For more information on Star Wars: The Old Republic, please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com, follow the game on Twitter® at http://twitter.com/swtor or (Like) Star Wars: The Old Republic on Facebook® at http://facebook.com/starwarstheoldrepublic.

*PRE-ORDER OFFER EXPIRES WHEN PRODUCT RELEASES. CODE EXPIRES DECEMBER 31, 2012. GOOD ONLY FOR NEW PURCHASES OF (STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC) ((PRODUCT)). VALID ONLY AT PARTICIPATING RETAILERS. CODE WILL BE GIVEN WHEN PRODUCT IS RELEASED AND MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, TRADED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. ACCEPTANCE OF END USER ACCESS AND LICENSE AGREEMENT, PERSISTENT INTERNET CONNECTION, ACCOUNT REGISTRATION (13+ TO REGISTER), PAID SUBSCRIPTION AND VALID AND ACCEPTED PAYMENT METHOD OR PAID GAME TIME CARD (IF AVAILABLE) REQUIRED TO ACCESS GAMEPLAY. GAME INTENDED FOR PLAY ONLY WITHIN NORTH AMERICA EUROPE AND CERTAIN OTHER TERRITORIES.  SEE WWW.SWTOR.COM/INFO/FAQ/GAME#Q209655.  EULAS AND DISCLOSURES CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.EA.COM/1/PRODUCT-EULAS. PAYMENT METHOD AGE RESTRICTIONS MAY APPLY. SEE PRE-ORDER FAQ'S AT WWW.SWTOR.COM/PREORDER/FAQ FOR DETAILS. SWTOR ONLINE SERVICE MAY BE RETIRED AFTER 30 DAYS NOTICE POSTED ON WWW.SWTOR.COM.  SEE EUALA FOR DETAILS.  AGREEMENT TO SHARE ACCOUNT INFORMATION WITH LUCASFILM ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY LTD. ((LUCASFILM)) IS REQUIRED. PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF SERVICE AVAILABLE AT WWW.SWTOR.COM. THE FIRST 30 DAYS OF SUBSCRIPTION IS INCLUDED IN THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE PRODUCT. SUBSCRIPTIONS MAY BE CANCELLED AT ANY TIME. SEE WWW.SWTOR.COM FOR DETAILS. WHILE SUPPLIES LAST. PRE-ORDER QUANTITIES LIMITED.

**GOOD ONLY FOR PURCHASES OF STAR WARSâ„¢: THE OLD REPUBLICâ„¢ WITH REDEMPTION OF A PURCHASED GAME TIME CODE OR BILLING OF AN ACTIVE GAME RECURRING SUBSCRIPTION WITH AN APPROVED PAYMENT METHOD. VALID WHEREVER GAME IS SOLD. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. CUSTOMERS WILL ACCESS THE ITEM IN-GAME. VIRTUAL ITEM ONLY. ITEM WILL BE APPLIED TO ALL CHARACTERS UNDER USER'S ACCOUNT. PLEASE ALLOW 7 DAYS FOR NOTIFICATION OF DELIVERABLES.
AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND OFFER EXPIRES APRIL 30, 2012 AT 12:01AM EDT; 2:00AM NZDT
HONG KONG and SINGAPORE OFFER EXPIRES APRIL 29, 2012 AT 9:01PM HKT, 9:01PM SGT

*** SUBSCRIPTION PRICING IN AUSTRALIA,NEW ZEALAND, HONG KONG  AND SINGAPORE WILL BE $14.99 USD PER MONTH, $41.97 USD FOR THREE MONTHS ($13.99 USD PER MONTH) OR $77.94 FOR SIX MONTHS ($12.99 USD PER MONTH).

About LucasArts
Founded in 1982 by filmmaker George Lucas, LucasArts is a leading publisher and developer of interactive entertainment. With development facilities in San Francisco and Singapore, LucasArts leverages the global skills, technology and resources of the Lucasfilm family of companies -- including visual effects leader Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Animation and Skywalker Sound -- in addition to strategic partnerships with best-in-class external partners, to further the boundaries of game development. LucasArts is dedicated to delivering deeply immersive, visually spectacular and engaging experiences that inspire and amaze generations.

About BioWare
The BioWare Label is a division of EA which crafts high quality multiplatform role-playing, MMO, social, play-for-free and strategy games, focused on emotionally engaging, rich stories with unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's most critically acclaimed titles and franchises, including Baldur's Gateâ„¢, Neverwinter Nightsâ„¢, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republicâ„¢, Jade Empireâ„¢, Mass Effectâ„¢ and Dragon Ageâ„¢.  BioWare currently operates in eight locations across the world, including Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec, Canada), Austin (Texas), Fairfax (Virginia), San Francisco (California), Los Angeles (California), Sacramento (California) and Galway (Ireland).

In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. In 2011 EA created the BioWare Label, alongside EA Games, EA SPORTSâ„¢ and EA Play.  For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bioware.  To join the millions of fans already registered with the BioWare community, go to http://social.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Simsâ„¢, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speedâ„¢, Battlefield, and Mass Effectâ„¢. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.