Mass Effect 2 sells two million in week one

Mass Effect 2 took off to a very phenomenal start last week, selling over two million copies in its first week. Not hard to believe, what with forty perfect scores given to the sequel.

Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare, had this to say on the game’s large sales: “Mass Effect 2 is poised to be one of the biggest games of 2010. We could not be more proud of the game’s universal acclaim and early commercial success.”

I’m still playing through the game myself. I’ve got to say it’s amazing. Matt will have a review up sometime next week, hopefully. Read on for the full press release.

BIOWARE’S MASS EFFECT 2 HAILED AS 1st BLOCKBUSTER OF 2010
Game Earns Rave Reviews, Sells 2Million Units in Week One

Guildford, UK (January 29, 2010) – Forty perfect scores. Two million units. One pop culture phenomenon. BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced today that Mass Effect™ 2 has sold-in over two million units worldwide in its first week of release*. Lauded for its intense shooter gameplay and deep, hand-crafted story, Mass Effect 2 has earned an average review score of 96** — making it the second highest rated game of all time on the Xbox 360 platform***. Mass Effect 2 has earned 40 perfect scores, amassed over 30 editor’s choice awards and is donning the front cover of 20 magazines worldwide. On launch day, the term “Mass Effect” was in the top 10 trending topics on Twitter and most searched on Google News. MSNBC.com said, “Mass Effect will go down as one of the most influential video game series of all-time.”

Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA said, “Mass Effect 2 is poised to be one of the biggest games of 2010. We could not be more proud of the game’s universal acclaim and early commercial success.”

Mass Effect 2 launched this week hot on the heels of BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins, the studio’s dark fantasy RPG which shipped in fall 2009. Dragon Age: Origins has earned an average review score of 91****, making it the highest rated original intellectual property from EA in the last year. Mass Effect 2 follows in BioWare’s tradition of delivering excellence on every front: gameplay, story, character development and visuals. Mass Effect 2 is an epic shooter/RPG set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, leading a crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense action, a rich storyline, space exploration and engaging character interaction, Mass Effect 2 delivers an unparalleled gaming experience.

Mass Effect 2 is available for the Xbox 360 and the PC and is 15 by the BBFC. For more information, follow the development team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect2 or visit the game’s official UK website at http://getmasseffect.ea.com.

*According to internal EA data.
**On Xbox 360 platform according to Metacritic.com.
***Mass Effect 2 is tied for second place according to Metacritic.com.
****On PC according to Metacritic.com.