EA, Pandemic to bring Mercenaries 2 to four platforms

Redwood City (CA) - Under a newly minted co-publishing deal, EA and Pandemic Studios today announced release details for Mercenaries 2 : World in Flames, the sequel to 2005’s Mercenaries : Playground of Destruction. The 2007 holiday title will make its debut on four different platforms.

The new game will be simultaneously released on the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, and the PC. Previously, it was only confirmed for a PS3 release. The original Mercenaries, which NPD recorded as one of the top-selling titles in its category for 2005, was only available on the PS2 and Xbox.

"All four platforms are incredible gaming machines, and from the beginning we designed an experience that accentuates their individual strengths and delivers the interactive freedom and explosive action Mercenaries fans demand," said Pandemic CEO Andrew Goldman.

Rights to the first Mercenaries were given to LucasArts, which was the main publishing partner for developer Pandemic Studios because of its work in a handful of Star Wars titles. However, developer Pandemic Studios changed publishing partners for the new installment after announcing a deal with Electronic Arts earlier this month.

Mercenaries 2 is one of only a handful of titles that has been announced for both the PS2 and PS3, and its simultaneous debut for the Xbox 360 and PC will make it just about the most widely released next-generation title when it hits store shelves this holiday season.