Gears of War 3

Join the biggest gaming event of the Spring and earn exclusive in-game unlockables

LONDON – 4 March 2011 – Get ready to jump back in the action with Delta Squad beginning this April by pre-ordering Gears of War 3 at GAME or gamestation. Available in three distinct Gears of War 3 editions -- Standard (£49.99), Limited (£59.99) and Epic (£99.99) -- those who pre-order the Limited and Epic editions with GAME or gamestation will gain access to three weeks of multiplayer beta action on Xbox LIVE, beginning 25 April.

Over the course of the beta program, three new competitive multiplayer modes and four exclusive maps will be rolled out, all running on dedicated servers and providing fans with the opportunity to help shape the biggest blockbuster game of 2011. Two of the four multiplayer maps, “Trenches” and “Old Town,” were selected by Gears fans through a Facebook poll that generated thousands of votes.

The Gears of War 3 public multiplayer beta kicks off 25 April and runs through to 15 May. Bulletstorm: Epic Edition customers will get early access beginning 18 April through the Bulletstorm disc.*

Key Beta Dates:

·         Bulletstorm Preview, 18 – 24 April

Owners of “Bulletstorm: Epic Edition” are eligible for a one-week beta preview period featuring the new Team Deathmatch mode on four new maps (Thrashball, Checkout, Trenches and Old Town).

·         Gears of War 3 Beta, 25 April – 15 May

The full public beta period begins 25 April. Players can look forward to special events and playlists throughout the beta period. Two additional competitive game modes, Capture the Leader and King of the Hill, will be added during the final week of the beta.

·         15 May

Beta concludes.

Not only will fans who participate in the beta have the opportunity to get an early taste of the year’s biggest game, but they’ll also have the opportunity to unlock exclusive content they can carry over to their retail copy of “Gears of War 3” when it launches on 20 September.

Unlockables:

·         Beta Tester Medal – Complete one match in the beta to unlock the Beta Tester medal, which will carry over to your gamer profile in the final game. The Beta Tester title will be featured in the Gears 3 multiplayer lobby as well.

·         Thrashball Cole – Complete 50 matches in any game type to unlock the Thrashball Cole character variant in the beta. Once unlocked, complete 10 matches as Thrashball Cole during the beta and the character will carry over to your gamer profile in the final game.

·         Gold-Plated Retro Lancer – Show your ultimate Gears of War fandom by unlocking the Gold-Plated Retro Lancer. Complete 90 matches in any game type to unlock it for the beta, and score 100 kills with it once unlocked to carry the exclusive weapon skin over to your gamer profile in the final game.

·         Flaming Hammerburst – Complete one match by Sunday, 24 April and unlock this weapon variant.

·         Flaming Lancer – Complete one match during the week of 25 April and unlock this weapon variant.

·         Flaming Sawed-Off Shotgun – Complete one match during the week of 2 May to unlock this weapon variant.

·         Flaming Gnasher Shotgun – Complete one match during the week of 9 May to unlock this weapon variant.

For additional details on “Gears of War 3” and the public multiplayer beta, please visit gearsofwar.xbox.com.

Published by Microsoft Game Studios, the “Gears of War” franchise has won more than 50 “Game of the Year” awards, sold more than 13 million copies worldwide and redefined the third-person shooter genre this generation. One of the bestselling Xbox game series of all time, “Gears of War” is exclusive to the Xbox 360 and its riveting multiplayer action makes it one of the most popular titles on Xbox LIVE.

-ENDS-

*Beta tokens were shipped with each retail copy of Bulletstorm: Epic Edition. Customers will need this token and have their copy of Bulletstorm to access the Gears of War 3 beta. An active Xbox LIVE Gold membership is required to participate.

Images and assets for the different Gears of War 3 editions can be downloaded at the following links: BBFC.zip / PEGI.zip. All age-rated video content must be placed under an appropriate age gate, per PEGI standards.

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Dominic Carey / 01189 095334 / docare@microsoft.com"> v-docare@microsoft.com

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