BioWare has released a slew of statistics for its acclaimed space RPG Mass Effect 2, revealing that 83 percent of players assumed the role of a male Commander Shepard, despite widespread acclaim for Jennifer Hale's performance as a female version of the character.The same percentage of players created their own bespoke face for Shepard, while the 'Soldier' class remains the most popular choice, RS 3 Gold with 63 percent of players opting for it. The statistics, reported by game blog Destructoid, will be used by the developer to influence the development of the final entry to the Mass Effect trilogy. 14 percent of squad members died in the final section of the game, while 36 percent of players chose the 'Renegade' option in the end-game dilemma. The studio also revealed that 'Archangel' was the most popular squad member selected for missions, while only 50 percent of players fully upgraded the ship's capabilities by the end of the game, useful data for both narrative and mechanical balancing in the next game.

Lionside (formerly Popside), a social game developer focused on sports titles, has secured around $1.6 million in its first round of funding, according to an SEC filing.Founded in 2009, Lionside is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in London and Surabaya, Indonesia. The start-up is committed to "combining powerful social gaming mechanics with the proven affinity between fans and the teams and sports that they love."The developer is headed by Doug Scott, who previously spent six years at Electronic Arts in a variety of roles, including VP of Global Online and VP of Sports,RS 07 Gold Entertainment, and Lifestyle Marketing. Most recently, he was VP of Marketing and Business Development for RMG Networks.Scott co-founded Lionside with several other game industry vets, such as Zynga's former marketing VP Brandon Barber, who is now VP of Marketing and Production at the developer.