Copies of Mass Effect 3 Launched Into The Stratosphere, Space Sphere Must Be Jealous

In order to drum up some excitement for Mass Effect 3 — as if there weren’t quite enough already — Electronic Arts has engaged in an interesting little publicity stunt: They’re launching a few copies of Mass Effect 3 into space. Well, near space; the kind of space you can get to with a weather balloon. Space travel aside, the important thing to note is that these copies will come to Earth before the official launch, and if you can find one, you’ll be able to play it.

Each airborne copy contains a GPS tracking device which can be used to track down copies once they touch down. You know, the same basic principle used by those kids who sent a LEGO minifig to space. If you think you want to hunt one down, you can keep tabs on their location at the official Mass Effect website, but the chances of having one fall nearby and being the first one there are probably pretty slim. The copies were launched from locations in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Berlin, London, and Paris, but I’m sure they’ll get around.

Granted, most of us are probably going to have to wait until March 6th, at which point we’ll have the fantastic adventure of picking up the mail or walking into the store. However, I hope this little stunt yields at least one cool story about someone taking out a boat and fishing a copy out of the ocean or something.

(via USA Today)

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