Do you have a burning desire to explore the cold vastness of space? BioWare wants to send you out there, only not in real life. Instead, the Mass Effect developer is hosting a contest that will send the winner’s voice to the virtual version of Andromeda. That’s right: there’s a chance to be a part of the next Mass Effect game, and here’s what you need to do.
BioWare provides two scripts in PDF format (#1)(#2) to download and read aloud. In turn, contestants can send in an audio file or a video, but don’t use accents, wear special makeup, throw on a costume (although a gorilla outfit would be amusing), or create special props to “enhance” the audition. Bioware simply wants to examine the quality of your performance, and determine if it fits within the Mass Effect universe. However, a light dramatic seasoning is allowed.
The contest actually started on Monday and will conclude on September 28, 2016 at 6:59 a.m. GMT. All entries will be judged by a panel of BioWare employees and the winners will be notified on or before November 30, 2016. Although there doesn’t seem to be any cash for services rendered, the studio will fly the winner to one of its professional recording studios and pay for a hotel stay for up to a three-day/two-night stay. Hey, your voice will be in a game. Isn’t that cool enough?
Given this is a contest, you have a few rules to abide by. This contest only spans Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. All entries must be made to explorers@bioware.com and in English. The size of the file can be no larger than 10MB, and it can remain on an online storage service and linked in the email submission. The email’s subject line needs to read “Explorers Wanted Contest.” Oh, and here’s the required consent form:
“Uploading an Entry constitutes entrant’s consent to give Sponsor a royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display such submissions in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis, and to incorporate it into other works, in any form, media or technology now known or later developed, including for promotional or marketing purposes,” BioWare states.
BioWare will choose up to two winners, who will be flown to Edmonton, Canada; Los Angeles, California; or London, United Kingdom to record their voices for the upcoming Mass Effect game, whichever location is the closest to the winner. The paid trip will include ground transportation and three meals per day while incidentals like Internet fees and spa/beauty salon services come out of the winner’s pocket. Hotel processing fees and airline service charges are the winner’s responsibility too.
Ultimately, the two winners must decide when they can fly out to BioWare’s studio, and tell the company two weeks prior to the travel window. All travel must be completed before December 31, 2016, or else the recording session will be canceled. The entire trip has a value of approximately $2,500, but the final number will depend on the winner’s location and seasonal rates.
For more information about the contest, head here.
