Universe at War: Earth Assault is set in the near-future where Earth has become a battleground for three alien factions at war. Amongst the three factions are the Hierarchy; a savage, hulking race that has come to Earth to harvest everything on the planet to fuel their war machines. Next are the Novus; a sentient robotic race hell-bent on stopping the Hierarchy from destroying civilizations across the galaxy. And lastly, the Masari; ancient astronauts that have lay dormant on Earth, only to awaken when the Hierarchy disturbs their millennium slumber. With numerous features and customization options never-before-seen in the RTS genre, Universe at War: Earth Assault creates an exceptional strategy experience for single-player and multiplayer battles.

"Universe at War: Earth Assault has three of the most diverse factions contained in a single game since StarCraft," said Elliott Chin, Director of Marketing, SEGA of America, "The developers at Petroglyph recognized the importance of unique factions as being a driving force of great gameplay in the RTS genre. Universe at War: Earth Assault presented Petroglyph an opportunity to utilize their years of game design experience in conjunction with a large amount of creative freedom to create this new IP. RTS gamers should ready themselves to play something truly innovative."

The game employs a unique balance system called "Tactical Dynamics" that allows players to retrain and customize units in the midst of battle to better cope with enemy forces and tactical situations. Weaponry and defenses can be modified in real-time to take advantage of constantly shifting battlefield conditions. Fully customizable tech trees allow players to control the development of technologies that they deem key to victory. With deadly super-weapons and alien powers, players can destroy large-scale cities and whole territories.

The multiplayer modes in Universe at War: Earth Assault are inspired by popular massively multiplayer online games and competitive online-playable titles. With its support of Microsoft’s Games for Windows® – LIVE, Universe at War: Earth Assault gives players achievement points, rewards, and medals in a balanced environment to further encourage players to move forward in the game. Players from around the world will battle in persistent-style online campaigns for ultimate faction supremacy across a virtual representation of the Earth.