BigPoint To Distribute EA's Play4Free Games Internationally

Browser-based game developer and portal operator BigPoint (Battlestar Galactica Online) has partnered with Electronic Arts to distribute the publisher's Play4Free portfolio to global audiences, starting with Lord of Ultima. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany (with offices in Berlin, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, and Malta), BigPoint reaches over 175 million registered users and attracts up to 250,000 new registrations per day. Its free-to-play games are localized in more than 25 languages and available in over 180 countries. BigPoint will begin releasing EA's Play4Free titles in March 2011 with Lord of Ultima, the free-to-play, browser-based strategy game developed by EA Phenomic and originally launched in January 2010. The game will be available in nine different lanuages and will appear here. EA did not reveal what other titles will appear on BigPoint's portal as part of this agreement, but the Play4Free label also includes online games like Need for Speed World, Battlefield Heroes, BattleForge, Mirror's Edge 2D, Dragon Age Journeys, FIFA Online and Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online. "I believe that the gaming industry is starting to fully appreciate the shift towards digital downloads," says BigPoint CEO Heiko Hubertz. "It is very encouraging to see EA make the push with their Play4Free portfolio and we are eager to add these high-quality games to our network."