Players who have affiliated themselves with the Red Dragon pirates, or who are considering it, now have some exciting new options. With June's game update, Blackbeard's Wake is now established as the home sector for pirates from across the galaxy.

Blackbeard's Wake, which is accessible only to pilots who have gained favorable standing with the Red Dragons, features a new epic encounter, and a new starbase for pirates to buy and sell their loot.

Look for all those Red Dragon sympathizers to begin calling Blackbeard's Wake home, but just remember that even the Red Dragons have adversaries nearby. So what is this "Controller" that the Red Dragons keep talking about...?

For the full details on the June game update for Earth & Beyond, check out the full press release below:

REDWOOD CITY, CA (June 30, 2003) - The online galaxy of Earth & Beyond just got a little bigger, and a little more dangerous.

Blackbeard's Wake, a pirate sector featuring a new starbase, new enemies to fight, and a new epic encounter, opened with the latest game update.

"Players who gain favor with the pirate faction will have free access to pirate space, which is full of new loot and provides plenty to hunt," says Creative Director Chris Klug. "Players will get a chance to see what life is like on the wrong side of the galactic law. Occasionally, at least in Blackbeard's Wake, crime does pay."

Earth & Beyond players who venture into Blackbeard's Wake will find one of most intense epic encounters in the game when they take on the Controller.

The Controller, an advanced artificial intelligence, once worked for the Red Dragon pirates creating training drones. The AI eventually evolved, becoming sentient, and angry. It began creating powerful combat drones that attack Red Dragon pirates on sight.

Players who choose to help the Red Dragons fight the Controller will be well-rewarded, but will also face a well-armed foe, surrounded by intelligent combat drones.

"Our goal was to force players to use different tactics than they've ever had to use before," Klug says. "The Controller is smart and commands his drones to attack and defend in a variety of ways. Players who come in blasting without a solid plan will find themselves incapacitated quite quickly."

The recent game update also included improvements to the analyzing and manufacturing systems, giving players more possible outcomes when crafting items. Also added were "override devices" that improve your chances for successfully analyzing an item or creating an item of higher quality.

If you're not playing Earth & Beyond, you can get a trial version via download or by having a 2-disc set mailed to you free. Get details at www.enbdemo.com.