MELBOURNE, Monday, 16 April, 2012: Madman Entertainment announced today a partnership with FUNimation to distribute the upcoming animated feature films Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker and Mass Effect: Paragon Lost in Australia, for release on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2012.

Both films are based on the critically acclaimed Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises, developed by award-winning developer BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts.

“There are plenty of avid gamers at Madman, myself included, who are big fans of both the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games,” said Tim Anderson, Managing Director, Madman Entertainment. “Both franchises offer great stories and rich characters, and we couldn’t be more excited to see BioWare’s immersive storytelling brought to life in these animated films.”

Produced respectively by Tokyo-based production company, T.O. Entertainment (Vexille, Appleseed) and Production I.G. (Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex) the feature-length animated films are based on the deep fiction of the award-winning Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises.

Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker follows heroine, Cassandra Pentaghast, in an epic quest to uncover a conspiracy that threatens the realm’s most powerful religious order, the Chantry of Andraste. Accused of treasonous crimes and hunted by friends and foes, Cassandra must clear her name and overcome her raging emotions to ensure order in the realm.

Mass Effect: Paragon Lost is centered on the early career of alliance marine, James Vega, as he commands a squad of elite special forces into battle against a mysterious alien threat known as The Collectors. The animated film will follow Vega’s journey in the epic science-fiction saga.

“Over the last few years, we have revealed different pieces of the Mass Effect world through different media. Extending the story through an anime medium is another amazing opportunity for us,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer for the Mass Effect series. “Partnering with FUNimation ensures that we will bring this rich universe to life with the utmost quality and the same attention to detail that the Mass Effect games are known for.”

DRAGON AGE: DAWN OF THE SEEKER will be available on DVD & Blu-Ray, 6 June, 2012. 

MASS EFFECT: PARAGON LOST will be available on DVD & Blu-Ray late in 2012.