Sega Ships Universe At War: Earth Assault For The Pc To Retailers In North America

The Future of Earth Hangs in the Balance in the Next Epic Real-Time Strategy Game from Petroglyph, Makers of Star Wars: Empire at War

SAN FRANCISCO - SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced it has shipped Universe at War: Earth Assault™ for the Windows-based PC to retailers in North America. Developed by Petroglyph, this combat-intensive real-time strategy (RTS) game enlists players in an epic struggle to prevent total alien domination of planet Earth. Universe at War: Earth Assault supports Microsoft’s Games for Windows® - LIVE initiative and is the first third-party title to support cross-platform play between Windows-based PC and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. The Xbox 360 version of Universe at War: Earth Assault is shipping in Q1 2008.

Universe at War: Earth Assault is set in the near-future where Earth has become a battleground for three alien factions at war. Amongst the three factions are the Hierarchy; a savage, hulking race that has come to Earth to harvest everything on the planet to fuel their war machines. Next are the Novus; a sentient robotic race hell-bent on stopping the Hierarchy from destroying civilizations across the galaxy. And lastly, the Masari; ancient astronauts that have lay dormant on Earth, only to awaken when the Hierarchy disturbs their millennium slumber. With numerous features and customization options never-before-seen in the RTS genre, Universe at War: Earth Assault creates an exceptional strategy experience for single-player and multiplayer battles.

“Universe at War: Earth Assault has three of the most diverse factions contained in a single game since StarCraft,” said Elliott Chin, Director of Marketing, SEGA of America, “The developers at Petroglyph recognized the importance of unique factions as being a driving force of great gameplay in the RTS genre. Universe at War: Earth Assault presented Petroglyph an opportunity to utilize their years of game design experience in conjunction with a large amount of creative freedom to create this new IP. RTS gamers should ready themselves to play something truly innovative.”

The game employs a unique balance system called “Tactical Dynamics” that allows players to retrain and customize units in the midst of battle to better cope with enemy forces and tactical situations. Weaponry and defenses can be modified in real-time to take advantage of constantly shifting battlefield conditions. Fully customizable tech trees allow players to control the development of technologies that they deem key to victory. With deadly super-weapons and alien powers, players can destroy large-scale cities and whole territories.

The multiplayer modes in Universe at War: Earth Assault are inspired by popular massively multiplayer online games and competitive online-playable titles. With its support of Microsoft’s Games for Windows® - LIVE, Universe at War: Earth Assault gives players achievement points, rewards, and medals in a balanced environment to further encourage players to move forward in the game. Players from around the world will battle in persistent-style online campaigns for ultimate faction supremacy across a virtual representation of the Earth.

Universe at War: Earth Assault is rated “T” by the Entertainment Software Rating Board and will retail for $49.99. For more information on the game, please visit www.sega.com/universeatwar. Screenshots and artwork can be found on the SEGA FTP site at http://segapr.segaamerica.com.





About SEGA of America, Inc.:
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com.