This is your friendly TFN reminder that The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic will be available on December 1, 2011 from Chronicle Books. Written by Frank Parisi and Daniel Erickson, this looks to be a nice way to get yourself excited for the game's impending release. Here's the description from Amazon:
"Star Wars fans the world over are buzzing in anticipation of what promises to be a defining moment in the history of multiplayer online gaming: the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic. The game follows the escalating war between the Jedi and the Sith thousands of years before the events of the Star Wars films, and its innovative design allows players to choose sides and help shape the history of the galaxy. This gorgeous, full-color volume features the detailed art behind this highly anticipated release from BioWare and LucasArts. With character sketches, interviews, and artwork featuring the game s new weapons, starships, and previously unexplored worlds, The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic is the ultimate chronicle of the newest Star Wars experience."
While The Art And Making Of Star Wars: The Old Republic is available now, the MMO itself is scheduled for release on December 20th in North American and European Territories.
UPDATE: Here's the official press release from Chronicle Books. Note that I've also adjusted the text above to correct the publication date of December 1st.
The Art and Making of Star Wars? The Old Republic? By Frank Parisi and Daniel Erickson Foreword by Penny Arcade 11 x 9 ? in, 160pp, full-color, hardback ISBN: 9780811875004 $40
Three thousand years before the rise of Darth Vader, an escalating war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire threatens to tear the Star Wars? galaxy apart. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, the highly anticipated online role-playing game, players will choose their path and immerse themselves in an expansive, imaginative, virtual world. This galaxy and the beings, machinery and scenery that inhabit it all began as ideas and concepts, the best of which are collected in the new book, The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Telling the story of the game?s development, the book goes behind the scenes to chronicle the road that led to this groundbreaking step forward in online entertainment. In-depth interviews with the creators the game?including the artists, animators, and the story and audio departments? illuminate the stunning concept art and final designs within.
Intricate character sketches, lush full-color explorations of numerous worlds, and detailed diagrams of the game?s new weapons, starships, and costumes, round out the features that make The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic the ultimate chronicle of the newest Star Wars experience.
Frank Parisi, former editor at Lucasfilm, Ltd., was the co-author of The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, editor of Star Wars Insider magazine, project editor of The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and has contributed numerous articles to GamePro and ALARM magazines.
Daniel Erickson is writing director at BioWare. He began his gaming career as an intern with Next Generation magazine and is currently lead writer for Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Penny Arcade, equal parts comic and commentary, keeps its finger on the pulse of the game industry, prompting conversation and controversy alike from community members to industry experts. What started as a hobby in 1998 for Jerry ?Tycho? Holkins and Mike ?Gabe? Krahulik has grown into an online phenomenon serving millions of readers worldwide.
About Chronicle Books One of the most admired and respected publishing companies in the U.S., Chronicle Books was founded in 1967 and over the years has developed a reputation for award-winning, innovative books. Recognized as one of the 50 best small companies to work for in the U.S. (and the only independent publisher to receive this award), the company continues to challenge conventional publishing wisdom, setting trends in both subject and format, maintaining a list that includes much admired illustrated books and gift products in design, art, architecture, photography, food, lifestyle, pop culture, and acclaimed children?s titles. Chronicle Books? objective is to create and distribute exceptional publishing that?s instantly recognizable for its spirit, creativity, and value. For more information about Chronicle Books, visit www.chroniclebooks.com.
About Bioware The BioWare Label is a division of EA which crafts high quality multiplatform role-playing, MMO and strategy games, focused on emotionally engaging, rich stories with unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's most critically acclaimed titles and franchises, including Baldur's Gate?, Neverwinter Nights?, Star Wars?: Knights of the Old Republic?, Jade Empire?, Mass Effect? and Dragon Age?. BioWare currently operates in seven locations across the world, including Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec, Canada), Austin (Texas), Fairfax (Virginia), San Francisco (California), Los Angeles (California) and Galway (Ireland). In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. In 2011 EA created the BioWare Label, alongside EA Games, EA Sports and EA Play. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biofeed. To join the millions of fans already registered with the BioWare community, go to http://social.bioware.com
About LucasArts LucasArts is a leading publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software for videogame console systems and personal computers. The company was founded in 1982 by filmmaker George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.
Now poised to realize George Lucas' vision of the potential for video games as an interactive medium, LucasArts continues to introduce new heroes for the next generation of gamers.
Lucasfilm, the Lucasfilm logo, STAR WARS? and related properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.