Mass Effect 3, the latest installment in BioWare's action-RPG sci-fi series, sold 890,000 copies in its first 24 hours of availability in North America, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitello said Thursday at the Wedbush Securities, Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference.
"We sort of anticipated it would do well, so it's doing really well," he said. "So we're happy."
The game, which went on sale Tuesday has also been boosted by the availability of downloadable content at launch. Riccitello pointed out that 40 percent of the people who bought Mass Effect 3 at GameStop also purchased a download code for additional content.
The tie ratio at the register is the highest in their history," Riccitello said.
First day numbers are not yet available from Europe, where Mass Effect hit stores a few days later.
The EA boss is also optimistic about Mass Effect 3's reception in editorial reviews, noting that it's averaging a score of 94 on Metacritic.
Priced at $59.99, Mass Effect 3 concludes the story arc of the heroic Commander Shepard as she or he (depending on the gender you've selected for the character) attempts to save Earth from the Reapers, an advanced machine race that seeks to eradicate all organic lifeforms. The game builds on its predecessor, Mass Effect 2, so game saves you made in the last game carry over, meaning you can continue the story you've been creating.
BioWare is also selling at $79.99 Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector's Edition, including a premium metal case with both a female and male Shepard, a limited edition Mass Effect comic, N7 fabric patch, soundtrack, among other goodies.
For more, see PCMag's review as well as the slideshow below.