EA delays Sims 3, Dragon Age to 2nd half 09, Godfather II even further

By Dave Rudden
February 03, 2009 16:31 PM PST
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Two of the EA's most anticipated PC titles will be coming this year... just a bit later than you originally thought. The second Godfather game may be sleeping with the fishes for quite some time.

With a flurry of press releases and conference call hint drops, EA has shaken up the release dates of many of its most high-profile 2009 releases. Earlier today, the company announced that Sims 3 has been pushed back from its late February release to June 2nd. Dragon Age: Origins, the next RPG from Mass Effect creators BioWare, similarly recieved a nudge from early 2009 towards the end of the year. The press releases for both games follow the story.

Another, more puzzling postponment came for The Godfather II, revealed on Joystiq. Due out in a matter of weeks, the game was receiving a decent pre-release push, with preview events being held, pre-order bonuses announced, and near-final code arriving on our doorstep. Ultimately, however, the game has been saddled with an ambiguous delay into the 2010 fiscal year, which means it could hit anytime in between the holiday season this year all the way up to summer 2010. Truly a puzzling move for a game we all expected before the month's end.

You can read more about The Sims 3 and Dragon Age below, and The Godfather 2 on Joystiq.

EA delays Sims 3, Dragon Age to 2nd half 09, Godfather II further.

Godfather II's release date gets shot in the face.

BIOWARE ANNOUNCES NEW RELEASE DATE FOR DRAGON AGE:ORIGINS PC

New Release Date Set for Last Half of 2009

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (February 3, 2009) - Leading video game developer BioWare(tm), a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced that the release of Dragon Age(tm): Origins on PC has been rescheduled to the last half of 2009 from the previously announced early 2009 release date, coinciding with the release of the console versions of Dragon Age: Origins.
"Dragon Age: Origins is shaping up to be quite amazing in its level of quality and polish," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. "I'm really proud of our team, who are working very hard to make Dragon Age: Origins the biggest and most exciting BioWare game yet, and we will work to ensure it not only meets, but exceeds the expectations of our loyal audience of fans."
Dragon Age: Origins is the spiritual successor to BioWare's critically acclaimed Baldur's Gate(tm), featuring deep character customization and roleplaying, morally challenging decisions, tactical party-based combat, and a wealth of gritty, mature sub-plots that together make it one of the most highly-anticipated PC and console releases of 2009.

For more information about Dragon Age: Origins, the latest updates, or to join BioWare's Dragon Age community, visit www.dragonage.com.

EA ANNOUNCES NEW SHIP DATE FOR THE SIMS 3

Highly-Anticipated PC Game from Best-selling PC Franchise Slated to Ship June 2, 2009

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., February 3, 2009 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that The Sims(tm) 3, the highly-anticipated flagship game from the best-selling PC franchise, The Sims will launch across the PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch and mobile devices summer 2009. The Sims 3 PC will ship to store shelves worldwide starting June 2, 2009.

"The Sims 3 is an incredible game that lets you play with life, create art and show off your creations," said Ben Bell, Executive Producer, The Sims 3. "In the game, players are inspired by endless creative possibilities like the new Traits and Lifetime Wish features which allow players to create Sims with real personalities and destinies. Players can then take their Sim into town to interact with other Sims in the game and capture the action on video to show off online."

"The June launch combined with the break-through game the team is building gives us the perfect runway to create awareness for The Sims 3," said Russell Arons, Vice President of Marketing for EA. "The Sims 3 will be the original IP summer blockbuster of 2009 as we build off the success of the best-selling PC franchise of all time to create awareness with both loyal Sims fans and new players."

For more information about The Sims 3, please go to www.TheSims3.com. The Sims 3, developed by The Sims Studio, is also in development for Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch and mobile devices.

Quite a weird turn of events for Godfather II. I didn't really dig the multiplayer component shown to us a few months ago, and now it seems like the game might be as dead as Sophia Coppola's performance in Godfather III. Burn!