14 DAY TRIAL // BioWare, the developer of the Mass Effect series and one of the most visible divisions of publisher Electronic Arts, have announced that they are partnering with FUNimation Entertainment, best known for distributing a wide range of Japanese made animation in North Amerrica, in order to create an anime feature film that is created using the Mass Effect universe.
T.O. Entertainment, based in Tokyo, will be a co-producer working on the project and the launch date is currently scheduled for the summer of 2012.
The anime movie will follow an unnamed hero in an adventure which will see he or she explore mysterious planets and face dangerous alien life forms.
It's not clear whether the new movie will in any way be linked to the main Mass Effect story, the one that is told through the three video games which will be out before summer 2012.
Casey Hudson, who is the executive producer working on the Mass Effect franchise, stated when the announcement was made, “Over the last few years, we have revealed different pieces of the Mass Effect world through different media. Extending the story through an anime medium is another amazing opportunity for us. Partnering with FUNimation ensures that we will bring this rich universe to life with the utmost quality and the same attention to detail that the Mass Effect games are known for.”
Gen Fukunaga, the president and the CEO of FUNimation, added, “It is thanks to the enormous and passionate Mass Effect fan base that this movie is made possible. With production underway on the Dragon Age video, we are excited to team up with another BioWare team to add an exciting new chapter to this vast sci-fi world.”
At the moment, BioWare is working on the action and role playing mix Mass Effect 3, which will again feature Commander Shepard and will be released during the fall of this year on the PC and home consoles.