Westwood will ship a limited quantity of Earth & Beyond to major software retailers beginning Sept. 24. Westwood is controlling the release of the game to make certain that new players will have the best experience possible as they enter the galaxy.

"We want to ensure a great experience for everyone, so we'll control the flow of new players into the game, preventing what could be a galactic traffic jam," said Craig Alexander, vice president and executive producer of Earth & Beyond. "Starting Sept 24, we'll ship new copies of Earth & Beyond to stores every week, populating each game server with thousands of players."

In Earth & Beyond, players become captains of their own starships and live futuristic galactic adventures as they explore, trade and fight with thousands of others. In addition, because this is a living, dynamic universe, players will face new challenges over time as the developers add sectors, planets, missions, monsters, characters, features, evolving plot lines and more.

"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," Alexander said.

Westwood is currently conducting a public test of Earth & Beyond with thousands of people playing every day, and will continue to select new testers through September 23. Anyone wishing to participate in the public test can sign up at the official Earth & Beyond website (www.earthandbeyond.com), or through GameSpy.com at www.fileplanet.com.

In addition, gamers who pre-purchase the retail version of Earth & Beyond at Electronics Boutique, GameStop, Amazon.com, or EA.com stores will be included automatically in the public test without having to sign up at the official Earth & Beyond website.