En Masse Entertainment announced today that Atari has been named the exclusive North American retail distributor for the launch of TERA. The press release states that the action MMO is still scheduled to launch on PC in North America this year. You can read the full announcement after the jump.

This news follows yesterday's announcement that the TERA Community Play Event will be held from March 28 to April 3 and give some lucky community members the chance to dive into TERA for a weekend. Another event should follow in a couple months, followed by the launch of the beta cycle.

Press release:

SEATTLE, WA—March 17, 2011—En Masse Entertainment™, a new breed of game publisher specializing in bringing engaging and innovative online properties to new audiences, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Atari, as the exclusive North American retail distributor for the launch of its award-winning and highly anticipated Action MMO, TERA™.  Atari is a global creator, producer, and publisher of interactive entertainment with extensive distribution experience for both roleplaying and MMO titles. Currently in production, TERA is scheduled for release on the PC in North America in 2011.

“We put a lot of focus on finding the right company to distribute TERA in North America, and Atari emerged as a leader with an emphasis on high-quality online titles,” said Chris Lee, Publishing VP of En Masse Entertainment. “Their strong distribution network, culturally iconic brand, and passion for what makes TERA a uniquely compelling game make them the right distributor for this launch.”

The winner of multiple awards including “Best MMO” (UGO, Best of GDC Awards) and “MMO of the Show” (Massively, Best of GDC Awards), TERA is a new class of game that combines all the depth of an MMO with the visceral gratification of an action combat game. Players master their destiny using a pioneering dynamic combat system in which player skill—not just stats—determine success or failure in a richly detailed game world. Individual player actions can transform the balance of power in a world where old rivalries are erased, and disparate races must form a common federation to stave off destruction by marauding monsters and warring gods.

“When we first played TERA, we could see that it had all the elements of an MMO hit,” said Lee Jacobson, SVP of Licensing and Digital Publishing, Atari. “Our expertise in retail marketing and bringing MMOs to market combined with TERA’s obvious quality makes this a great fit for both companies.”

TERA continues to captivate and excite fans and audiences with its spectacular graphics, innovative gameplay, and promise for a new type of MMO experience and community support. It is set for launch in North America in 2011 as one of the most anticipated PC games of the year.

TERA is being developed by Bluehole Studio™ and co-produced and published by En Masse Entertainment. Atari will retain exclusive distribution rights in North America.

For more information on TERA, please visit www.tera-online.com.