EA's space MMORPG goes gold

EA's massively multiplayer online role-playing galaxy (MMORPG! Larks!) Earth & Beyond has gone gold, and will ship to retailers later this month in the US. Earth & Beyond sees players becoming captains of their own starships and occupying a futuristic galaxy where they can explore, trade and fight with thousands of others. Early comparisons were made with Elite, but the gameplay falls decidedly under the banner of MMORPG, with a point-and-click interface and a fast pace. As well as flying your custom-made ship around, you can unsaddle yourself and take your custom-made avatar for a wander on the promenades of space stations and other large ships. "Earth & Beyond is a galaxy that will grow and change in many ways over the next weeks, months and years. We have huge surprises in store," says E&B executive producer Craig Alexander. One hopes, however, that things go a bit more smoothly than the recent beta, which has seen players struggling to connect at all this past weekend. Related Feature - Earth & Beyond screenshots