COMPANY OF HEROES® ONLINE CLOSED BETA LAUNCHES IN NORTH AMERICA
Free-to-play RTS Game Beta available via IGN Entertainment’s FilePlanet.com from 26th July
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. July 21, 2010 --
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced the launch of the
Company of Heroes®OnlineClosed Beta for North America, with an exclusive access period available via FilePlanet.com, IGN Entertainment’s premier digital file download service.
Developed by THQ’s Relic Entertainment studio, creators of the award-winning Company of Heroes and Dawn of War™ franchises,
Company of Heroes Online is an online multiplayer real-time-strategy game that is free to download and play. Building on the frenetic Real-Time-Strategy action of the original
Company of Heroes,
Company of Heroes Online offers army specialization, commander customization, and persistent progression. Players will enter each match with a unique selection of upgrades and hero units with new items and experience earned with every match played.
The
Company of Heroes Online Beta will feature two different armies, the Allies and Axis each with three different divisions offering players a choice of play style. The beta will feature 17 different multiplayer maps, which will be split between 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 modes. Players of the
Company of Heroes Online Beta will also be able to enjoy the single player campaign from
Company of Heroesfor free.
On July 21
st a few lucky Company of Heroes community members will receive keys in their inbox giving them access to the testing phase of the closed beta. Following this, on the 26
th July, the closed beta will officially launch with 20,000 keys up for grabs on IGN Entertainment’s FilePlanet.com. FilePlanet is the premier online destination for PC gamers to find the files they need, whether it’s the latest hot demo, patches for their current favorite game, access to exclusive Betas or downloadable content to expand and extend their adventures. This promotion will run until the 30
th of July.
Travis Plane, Vice President of Global Brand Management commented,
“The beauty of Company of Heroes Online being free to play is that it is now accessible at no risk to anyone who might have missed out on this award winning RTS before. Novice RTS players can now experience it for free and enjoy the game at whatever level and pace they feel comfortable with. The more experienced RTS player can really get into the trenches of the game with weapons & equipment upgrades and the new progression mechanic.”
Sutton Trout, Vice President of Digital Content for IGN Entertainment stated,
“FilePlanet is known as the preeminent site for gamers to gain access to the hottest game Beta tests and THQ’s Company of Heroes is of huge interest to our audience. We expect those twenty thousand keys for the game to go very quickly.”
About Company of Heroes Online
The critically acclaimed real-time strategy game,
Company of Heroes, will be available as a unique free-to-play micro-transaction online multiplayer experience. Take command of your company as you wage online warfare across the ravaged battlefields of World War II-era Europe. Choose from one of six different divisions, from the brutal German Blitzkrieg to the deadly efficient Allied Airborne, each with its own combat style and unique Commander Abilities. Customize your army and enter each battle with your own unique set of battle-tested Heroes, upgrades, and devastating Commander Abilities. Become the ultimate military commander as you unlock new abilities with every conflict and build your army with every victory.
About THQ
THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at
www.thq.com. THQ, Company of Heroes, Relic Entertainment and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.
About IGN Entertainment
IGN Entertainment, a unit of News Corporation, is the leading Internet media and services provider focused on the videogame and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN's properties reached more than 42.9 million unique users worldwide January 2010, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN's network of videogame-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others) is one of the Web's leading videogame information destinations. IGN also owns the leading male lifestyle website AskMen.com. In addition, IGN provides technology for online game play in videogames. IGN is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “THQ”), including, but not limited to, expectations and projections related to the Company of Heroes Online Closed Beta video game, and are based upon management’s current beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, business, competitive, economic, legal, political and technological factors affecting our industry, operations, markets, products or pricing. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ’s financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2010, and particularly the discussion of risk factors set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.
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