- 2K and Firaxis Games today announced the award-winning* Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth™ is available now worldwide for Windows PC. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Civilization: Beyond Earth is a new science-fiction themed entry to the critically-acclaimed Civilization series,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “Civilization: Beyond Earth showcases Firaxis Games’ commitment to creating high quality strategy games, and challenges players to colonize an alien planet through an intellectually challenging and visually appealing gaming experience.”

“Unlike its predecessors, players are no longer bound by historical context in Civilization: Beyond Earth,” said Sid Meier, Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games. “The game challenges players to make interesting and fun decisions bringing together future science, technologies and ideologies as you explore mankind’s future on an alien planet.”

In Civilization: Beyond Earth players lead factions divided by contrasting cultures and philosophies, while simultaneously advancing their own leaders, cities and units to reflect their personal choices and style of play. Through an array of new gameplay systems, including nonlinear technological progression and a new virtues tree, there are countless opportunities for players to change the very identity of their faction and the world around them.

Key features of Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth include:

• Seed the Adventure: Players establish a cultural identity, select a leader, and sponsor an expedition by assembling the spacecraft, cargo and colonists through a series of choices that directly impact starting conditions when arriving on the new alien planet;
• Alien World: Players will explore the benefits and dangers of a new planet filled with dangerous terrain, valuable resources and hostile life forms unlike those of Earth, build outposts, unearth ancient alien relics, tame new forms of life, develop flourishing cities and establish trade routes to create prosperity for their people;
• New Technology Web: Players will see technology advancement occur through a series of nonlinear choices affecting mankind’s development. The tech web is organized around three broad themes, each with a distinct victory condition;
• New Quest System: Quests are infused with fiction about the planet and help guide players through a series of side missions, each aiding in the collection of resources, upgrading units and advancing through the game;
• New Orbital Layer: Players build and deploy three types of advanced satellites – military, economic and scientific – that provide strategic offensive, defensive and support capabilities from orbit.

Civilization: Beyond Earth is rated Everyone 10+ by the ESRB and is available now worldwide on Windows PC for $49.99. The game will be launching for Mac and Linux via Aspyr Media this holiday season.

For more information on Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth, please visit www.civilization.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow Civilization on Twitter and subscribe to Civilization on YouTube. To learn more about the game’s availability on Mac or Linux, follow Aspyr Media on Twitter (@AspyrMedia) and Facebook (/AspyrMedia).

*Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth received more than 15 awards at E3 2014, including Destructoid’s “Best of E3: Best PC” and “Best of E3: Best Strategy Game,” Game Critics Award’s “Best Strategy Game,” Game Informer’s “Best PC Exclusive” and “Best Strategy Game,” IGN’s “Best of E3 Best Strategy Game,” Nerdist’s “Editor’s Choice E3 2014,” Polygon’s “Editors’ Choice,” The Escapist’s “Best of E3 2014” and more.

Firaxis Games is a 2K studio. 2K is a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO).

All trademarks and copyrights contained herein are the property of their respective holders.

About Take-Two Interactive Software

Headquartered in New York City, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a leading developer, marketer and publisher of interactive entertainment for consumers around the globe. The Company develops and publishes products through its two wholly-owned labels Rockstar Games and 2K. Our products are designed for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, and are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ under the symbol TTWO. For more corporate and product information please visit our website at http://www.take2games.com.

About 2K

Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes interactive entertainment globally for console systems, handheld gaming systems and personal computers, including smartphones and tablets, which are delivered through physical retail, digital download, online platforms and cloud streaming services. 2K publishes titles in today’s most popular gaming genres, including shooters, action, role-playing, strategy, sports, casual, and family entertainment. The 2K label has some of the most talented development studios in the world today, including Firaxis Games, Visual Concepts, 2K Marin, 2K Czech, 2K Australia, Cat Daddy Games and 2K China. 2K’s stable of high quality titles includes the critically acclaimed BioShock®, Borderlands™ and XCOM® franchises, the beloved Sid Meier’s Civilization series, the popular WWE 2K franchise and NBA 2K, the #1 rated and #1 selling basketball franchise*. 2K is headquartered in Novato, California and is a wholly owned label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO). For more information, please visit www.2K.com.

*According to 2008 - 2014 Metacritic.com and The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales through September 2014.

About Firaxis Games

Firaxis Games™ is one of the world’s premier game development studios, and home of legendary designer Sid Meier. Firaxis has developed some of the most successful and award-winning computer and video games on the market today, including: the award winning Sid Meier’s Civilization® V for the PC, as well as the critically acclaimed expansion pack, Sid Meier’s Civilization® V: Gods and Kings, Sid Meier’s Civilization® Revolution™ for console, iPhone®, iPod touch®, iPad® and Nintendo DS, 2005 PC Game of the Year - Sid Meier’s Civilization IV®, the expansions Civilization IV: Warlords®, Civilization IV: Beyond The Sword™, and Civilization IV: Colonization™, the blockbuster Sid Meier’s Civilization® III series, Sid Meier’s Pirates!® (PC, Xbox® and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system), Sid Meier’s SimGolf™ and Sid Meier’s Railroads!™. Firaxis’ legacy titles include the Sid Meier's Civil War Series!™ (Gettysburg!, Antietam!, and South Mountain), and the Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri® series. In 2005, Firaxis Games was acquired by Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., joining its 2K publishing label. Firaxis Games recently released XCOM®: Enemy Unknown for Windows PC, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system to critical acclaim.

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Source: Take-Two Interactive

2K Jessica Lewinstein, 415-507-7519 jessica.lewinstein@2k.com or Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Alan Lewis, 646-536-2983 Corporate Press alan.lewis@take2games.com or Access Communications for 2K Joe Sullivan, 415-844-6271 jsullivan@accesspr.com