LucasArts sends word that Star Wars Empire at War: Forces has gone gold. The game is due out on October 24th.

LucasArts and Petroglyph Games today announced that Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption, the highly anticipated expansion for Star Wars: Empire at War, has reached the gold milestone and will ship to retail stores in North America October 24.

In the award-winning and best-selling Star Wars: Empire at War, players controlled an entire war for the Star Wars galaxy as the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. Now, they will face off against both of them in Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption. As Tyber Zann, players will stop at nothing as they seek to become the most notorious criminal leader since Jabba the Hutt. With all new tactics like piracy, kidnapping, and bribery, players can control the shadowy forces of corruption in their attempt to rule the Star Wars underworld.

In addition, players can hone their skills at racketeering, slavery and intimidation beginning this week through the Forces of Corruption single-player demo. Brand-new corruption gameplay elements are available in the demo, along with new Zann Consortium units and weapons such as cloaking transports, defilers, and buzz droids. The demo is available at: http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions/empireatwar/foc/index.aspx