Electronic Arts and Sony Pictures have teamed up on a cross promotion deal that will see Medal of Honor: Warfighter receive a map pack featuring locations from Kathryn Bigelow’s upcoming film, Zero Dark Thirty.
Expected for release during “the week of December 17,” the pack and its two included maps will be sold for $9.99, with one dollar from every purchase going to charity thanks to EA’s Project HONOR program. Going further, those who end up purchasing the first-person shooter’s first run limited edition will receive the add-on for free.
This development isn’t only noteworthy because new content for one of this fall’s most anticipated shooters has been confirmed though. That’s because, for those who’ve yet to hear, Zero Dark Thirty is based on the United States Army’s hunt for terrorist Osama Bin Laden, and that means that its inspired DLC pack’s two multiplayer arenas will share the same focus. In fact, they’ll be based on the Darra Gun Market and Chitral.
I’m somewhat surprised by all of this, because both companies are essentially walking into a controversial minefield with this joint promotion. However, one can’t fault EA for trying to add more realism to a shooter that is inspired by real-life military conflicts featuring American T1 operatives.
Below, you’ll find another related video, which happens to be the second episode of the game’s SEAL Team 6video series. Like its predecessor, it focuses on one of the key members of every T1 team and, this time around, the microscope shifts to the Point Man.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter will be released on October 23.
EA AND SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT JOIN FORCES TO SUPPORT EA’S PROJECT HONOR INITIATIVE WITH MEDAL OF HONOR WARFIGHTER: ZERO DARK THIRTY MAP PACK
EA to Donate $1 Million Minimum to Charities Benefiting the Nation’s Armed Services and Their Families
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – September 10, 2012 – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced today a unique, philanthropic-directed, cross-promotional partnership in North America that will result in a $1 million minimum donation to charities benefiting the nation’s veterans. In anticipation of the release of the Columbia Pictures and Annapurna Pictures’ Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Academy Award® winner Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal, and the EA game Medal of Honor™ Warfighter, players can help give back to the nation’s real warfighters with the Medal of Honor Warfighter Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack. EA will donate a portion of map pack sales* as part of its commitment to give back at least $1 million through its Project HONOR campaign, a program created to drive charitable contributions to nonprofit veterans organizations. The pack will be available for sale** in North America the week of December 17, in conjunction with the theatrical debut of Zero Dark Thirty, for $9.99.
“Working with Project HONOR is a meaningful way for us to continue our support for combat veterans throughout the armed services,” said Mark Boal, writer-producer of Zero Dark Thirty. “We are thrilled to be a part of this effort, and we’re humbled that EA is stepping up to the plate with such a significant contribution.”
The Medal of Honor Warfighter Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack includes two new multiplayer maps inspired by real world locations. Set in one of the most dangerous hotspots in the world, the first map is Darra Gun Market, Pakistan’s flourishing arms bazaar. Darra, the largest illegal arms market in the world, is a tribal land based on two principles – hospitality and revenge. No police are allowed to enter the area and the laws are made by the tribal leader. The second location is Chitral, which sits in the far north of Pakistan, bounded by Afghanistan to the west and China to the north. It is a remote, rugged area governed by tribes that will not allow even the Pakistani army to operate there.
“Medal of Honor Warfighter is inspired by real world events, real operations, and real warriors,” said Peter Moore, Chief Operating Officer at EA. “We’ve teamed up with Sony Pictures Entertainment to give back to the Special Operations community in honor of the sacrifices they and their families have made for their country and to connect people to the story of the greatest manhunt our world has seen.”
Written by actual U.S. Tier 1 Operators while deployed overseas, Medal of Honor Warfighter puts players in the boots of today’s most highly trained and skilled warriors to experience missions that have an intense sensory connection to real world terrorist threats. From rescuing hostages in Abu Sayyaf’s stronghold in the Philippines to assaulting Al-Shabaab’s “Pirate Town” on the Somali Coast, Medal of Honor Warfighter features international hotspots in the single player campaign and introduces international Tier 1 Operators in multiplayer allowing gamers to show their national pride online.
Medal of Honor Warfighter will be available in North America on October 23 and in Europe on October 26 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. In Europe, the Pakistan maps and SEAL team 6 inspired weapon loadouts will be included in the Medal of Honor Warfighter The Hunt Map Pack, also available the week of December 17 for £7.99.
For a decade, an elite team of intelligence and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devoted themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. Columbia Pictures and Annapurna Pictures’ Zero Dark Thirty reunites the Oscar® winning team of director-producer Kathryn Bigelow and writer-producer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) for the story of history’s greatest manhunt for the world’s most dangerous man. Gamers will be able to view the film trailer in the Medal of Honor Warfighter Limited Edition game disc when the game launches in October. For more information on the film, please visit www.zerodarkthirty-movie.com. Zero Dark Thirty will be released in theaters nationwide on December 19, 2012.
For more information on Medal of Honor Warfighter be sure to visit www.medalofhonor.com, and www.facebook.com/medalofhonor, or follow on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/medalofhonor. Press assets are available at www.info.ea.com.
