BioWare and FUNimation Entertainment Sign Anime Movie Deal for Award-Winning Dragon Age Franchise
Anime Leader to Create Home Video Adaptation of Award-Winning "Dragon Age"
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Jun 7, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) --BioWare(TM), an Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) studio, and FUNimation Entertainment, the leading distributor of Japanese animation in North America, announced today an agreement to create an anime feature film adapted from BioWare's critically-acclaimed fantasy Action RPG franchise Dragon Age(TM). Production of the Dragon Age anime movie is slated to begin this month with a home video release in 2011. Executive producing the film are BioWare's Executive Producer Mark Darrah and Creative Director Mike Laidlaw, as well as FUNimation's president and CEO Gen Fukunaga and Director of Original Entertainment Chris Moujaes.
"Anime is a great medium for us to continue the robust Dragon Age story," said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer for the Dragon Age franchise. "Partnering with FUNimation ensures that we are delivering the exceptional quality and entertainment value that our Dragon Age fans expect."
"We are thrilled to be working with EA and BioWare on the production of the Dragon Age anime feature," said Fukunaga. "We are going to be bringing the classic visual and storytelling techniques found in anime to create a film that will extend the narrative of the world BioWare has created."
Dragon Age has been selected as the first title in FUNimation's slate of major anime movies to be developed through FUNimation's Original Entertainment team since the announcement of the company's co-production initiative in November 2009.
When originally released in 2009, Dragon Age: Origins won over 30 critics awards and was named "RPG of the Year" by the Academy of Arts and Interactive Sciences, Game Informer, G4, SpikeTV, and PC Gamer. Seth Schiesel of The New York Times described the game as " . . . perhaps the best electronic game made yet."
For more information on Dragon Age, please visit http://dragonage.bioware.com/.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation(R) Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for being the market share leader for home video sales of anime in the United States. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.
About Navarre Corporation
Navarre(R) Corporation is a leading distributor and publisher of computer software and home entertainment media. Navarre Distribution Services provides complete distribution and third-party logistics (3PL) services to North American retailers and their suppliers. The company publishes computer software in its Encore(R) subsidiary and produces anime video through its FUNimation Entertainment(R) subsidiary. Navarre was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Additional information can be found at www.navarre.com.
The Navarre Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6839
BioWare and Dragon Age are trademarks of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and Pogo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Jun 7, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) --BioWare(TM), an Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) studio, and FUNimation Entertainment, the leading distributor of Japanese animation in North America, announced today an agreement to create an anime feature film adapted from BioWare's critically-acclaimed fantasy Action RPG franchise Dragon Age(TM). Production of the Dragon Age anime movie is slated to begin this month with a home video release in 2011. Executive producing the film are BioWare's Executive Producer Mark Darrah and Creative Director Mike Laidlaw, as well as FUNimation's president and CEO Gen Fukunaga and Director of Original Entertainment Chris Moujaes.
"Anime is a great medium for us to continue the robust Dragon Age story," said Mark Darrah, Executive Producer for the Dragon Age franchise. "Partnering with FUNimation ensures that we are delivering the exceptional quality and entertainment value that our Dragon Age fans expect."
"We are thrilled to be working with EA and BioWare on the production of the Dragon Age anime feature," said Fukunaga. "We are going to be bringing the classic visual and storytelling techniques found in anime to create a film that will extend the narrative of the world BioWare has created."
Dragon Age has been selected as the first title in FUNimation's slate of major anime movies to be developed through FUNimation's Original Entertainment team since the announcement of the company's co-production initiative in November 2009.
When originally released in 2009, Dragon Age: Origins won over 30 critics awards and was named "RPG of the Year" by the Academy of Arts and Interactive Sciences, Game Informer, G4, SpikeTV, and PC Gamer. Seth Schiesel of The New York Times described the game as " . . . perhaps the best electronic game made yet."
For more information on Dragon Age, please visit http://dragonage.bioware.com/.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation(R) Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for being the market share leader for home video sales of anime in the United States. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.
About Navarre Corporation
Navarre(R) Corporation is a leading distributor and publisher of computer software and home entertainment media. Navarre Distribution Services provides complete distribution and third-party logistics (3PL) services to North American retailers and their suppliers. The company publishes computer software in its Encore(R) subsidiary and produces anime video through its FUNimation Entertainment(R) subsidiary. Navarre was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Additional information can be found at www.navarre.com.
The Navarre Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6839
BioWare and Dragon Age are trademarks of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and Pogo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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