Mass Effect 3: Space Edition is a special promotional copy of Mass Effect 3
Space Edition copies of the game were launched by Electronic Arts and Bioware as part of a promotion for their new game, Mass Effect 3.[1]
The copies were launched on weather balloons equipped with a GPS tracker. Fans could track the location of the balloon, then chase it and claim the copies of the game as prizes. Each balloon had a Space Edition copy of the game, as well as five Xbox 360 copies and four Playstation 3 copies.
The balloons were launched from five different sites:
San Francisco[edit]
San Francisco was the first launch site. Two balloons were launched on February 23rd 2012, one at 7:00 AM, nicknamed NRMNDY, and one at 9:00 AM, nicknamed SHEPRD. Both ended up in inaccessible areas, NRMNDY landed on top of a high tree, while SHEPRD landed in densely forested wilderness. Many gamers tried to recover NRMNDY by climbing on the tree, but were unsuccessful[2]
Las Vegas[edit]
Las Vegas copies were launched on February 24th at 11:00AM and were successfully recovered.
New York[edit]
New York Space Edition copy was launched on February 25 at 12:00PM. It landed on private property, but was successfully retrieved.
London[edit]
Two beacons were launched from London sites on February 27th, one at 11:30 am and the other one at 15:15. Both were successfully recovered.
Berlin[edit]
On February 29th, two Berlin ME3 Space Edition copies were launched into space. One at 7AM and the other at 8AM. Both were recovered.