EA has confirmed that they have shipped 3.5-million copies of the third instalment of BioWare’s game in the first week alone and sales figures should not be too far behind.
Mass Effect 3 was one of the most eagerly anticipated games of 2012 ever since it was demoed at E3 last year. The demo itself showed off a rather epic battle between Sam Shepard, the game’s protagonist, and a 100-foot tall Reaper.
EA and BioWare kept interest in the game high as they dropped regular updates of the game on the gaming community, ranging from dev diaries to pre-order incentives on offer. EA also released a number of weather balloons into the upper most limits of the
Earth’s atmosphere before they dropped their payload back down.
The ‘payload’ just happened to be copies of Mass Effect 3, which when found would let players play the game before its official release. Needless to say it did build up a fair amount of hype for the game and now EA are reaping the benefits.
According to the publisher the game shipped 3.5-million units in its first week alone, which EA claim makes Mass Effect 3 “the first pop culture event and the biggest entertainment launch of 2012.”
It should be noted that ‘shipped’ does not necessary mean ‘sold’ as the latter’s figures have not been disclosed as yet.
Dr. Ray Muzyka, the co-founder of BioWare, was also on hand to comment on the impressive start. He said, “We (BioWare) have been truly humbled by the amazing response from fans and critics for Mass Effect 3.”
Metacritic has the Xbox 360 version of the game currently rated at 95, which is impressive for any game. However, Dr. Muzyka also took the moment to pitch for the game, probably just because he could and also commended the development teams on their work.
“The game is a gripping, engaging experience where the decisions and choices you make will truly stay with you for the months and years ahead. We are all incredibly proud of Casey Hudson and the teams in Edmonton and Montreal for delivering the best game
BioWare has ever made.”
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