EA Spotlights Slate of New Titles and Initiatives at Annual Summer Showcase Event
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Aug 14, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Following an award-winning presence at E3 in July, Electronic Arts
Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today unveiled new games that will entertain the
core and reach for more, scheduled to launch this holiday and in 2009.
The new games presented on stage at a press conference during EA's
annual Studio Showcase include The Godfather(R) II, Need for Speed(TM)
Undercover, SCRABBLE on the iPhone(TM) featuring WiFi play capability,
and a brand new property, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure.
EA Partners also announced publishing agreements with two of the
world's most creative independent studios, Epic Games and Grasshopper
Manufacture.
"Today's event is a key inflection point that shows the industry
the breadth and depth of EA's portfolio," said Jeff Karp, Senior Vice
President and General Manager of North American Publishing for
Electronic Arts. "We continue to raise the bar with each opportunity
to show new titles throughout the summer and fall line up of global
industry events. It's been exciting to see consumer and critical
reaction to our expansive slate, and we look forward to receiving
feedback with the debut of today's new titles."
The new titles and relationships unveiled on stage at today's
Studio Showcase press conference include:
-- Need for Speed Undercover -- Need for Speed Undercover takes
the franchise back to its roots and re-introduces break-neck
cop chases, the world's hottest cars and spectacular highway
battles. The intense action racing title scheduled for release
this holiday will feature international movie star, Maggie Q,
as the lead character in the big-budget live-action sequences
that propel the game's original story forward.
-- The Godfather II -- From EA and Paramount Digital
Entertainment comes The Godfather II videogame, the sequel to
the 2007 multi-platinum hit. Inspired by the film and Mario
Puzo's Corleone family drama, The Godfather II game goes
beyond the film's story by setting players in the world of
organized crime in 1960's Florida, Cuba and New York.
-- Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure -- Love puzzle
games, but also love an adventure? Now you can have both in
one game. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure is the
ultimate fun, quirky adventure-puzzle game that intertwines
platform and puzzle genres. Adding a new element of fun, the
game combines the action of an adventure game with the
challenge of a puzzle game all in one. In this two-in-one
adventure, players will explore five exotic worlds, fight a
variety of opponents, and venture through more than 30 levels,
including nearly a dozen hidden levels while taking on
outrageous world-ending bosses. From the EA Casual
Entertainment Label, Henry Hatsworth will be available
exclusively for the Nintendo DS(TM) early 2009.
-- SCRABBLE on the iPhone featuring WiFi play capability -- For
the first time ever, SCRABBLE on the iPhone features WiFi play
capability allowing up to four players within the same network
to play against each other from their individual phones.
SCRABBLE on the iPhone, available in the U.S. and Canada,
turns the touch screen into a game controller with simple
intuitive controls that simulate real-life game pieces.
Players can zoom in and out, drag, and drop tiles, even give
their iPhone a shake to shuffle tiles. With a realistic look
and feel that evokes the original board game, this exciting
update includes a built-in word list, a "Best Word" Help
feature to find the optimal word from the player's tiles,
score and stat tracking, and dynamic animations. Players can
customize their game play with multiple difficulty levels,
flexible game rules, and the option to play alone, challenge
the computer player, or enjoy pass 'n play for two to four
players. Every word is a winner when you play Hasbro's
SCRABBLE on your iPhone.
-- Epic Games -- EA and Epic signed a publishing agreement for an
all-new action title for the PC, Xbox 360(R) video game system
and PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system. The new
intellectual property is currently in development by Epic's
People Can Fly studio in Poland.
-- Grasshopper Manufacture -- EA signed a publishing agreement
with iconic Japanese development studio Grasshopper
Manufacture. EA will publish an all-new action horror game
produced by Shinji Mikami and directed by innovative game
designer Suda51.
Additional titles featured at today's Studio Showcase press
conference include:
-- Battlefield Heroes(TM) is an all-new Play 4 Free cartoon-style
shooter that will bring classic Battlefield gameplay to an all
new mass audience. Available for download* at
www.battlefield-heroes.com later this year, Battlefield Heroes
is EA's first title that is offered completely for free, and
features a built-in matchmaking system to ensure that players
of equal skill are paired together for fair play. Developed by
DICE in Stockholm, Battlefield Heroes is leading EA's new
web-focused free to download, free to play business model
which generates revenue through advertising and
micro-transactions. With zero barriers to entry, now anyone
can be a hero on the battlefield!
-- Boogie(TM) SuperStar -- For any girl who has ever dreamed of
being a star, EA's Casual Entertainment Label brings future
stars one step closer with Boogie SuperStar. Combining the
hottest music hits from around the world with the coolest
dance moves and total character customization, Boogie
SuperStar provides girls the ultimate gaming experience: to
sing and dance their way to superstardom! Exclusively for the
Wii(TM), Boogie SuperStar will be available in North America
and Europe October 2008, and in Asia in the following months.
-- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince(TM) -- Gamers will
relive all the thrills, action, and excitement of the movie
this holiday season! In the game of Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help
Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a
chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew
magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to
lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. From EA's
Bright Light Studio, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is
scheduled for release in time for the movie launch this
November for the Wii, PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2,
PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable), Nintendo DS, Windows PC,
Macintosh(R) and mobile devices.
-- Madden NFL 09 -- Madden NFL 09, which launched Tuesday to
celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise, is the First
Sports Game That Adapts To You while introducing more than 85
new features and enhancements. Called "better than ever" by
the Associated Press and named Best Sports Game of E3 in the
official "Game Critics Best of Show Awards", Madden NFL 09
includes adaptable gameplay tailored to every type of gamer,
improved graphics and animations, and a new network-inspired
broadcast style presentation that delivers an authentic NFL
experience.
-- NHL 09 -- EA SPORTS(TM) welcomes players to the future of
sports gaming with NHL(R) 09. Building on NHL 08 - winner of
seven Sports Game of the Year awards - EA SPORTS continues to
evolve the NHL franchise with innovative control enhancements,
added depth and accessibility. Gamers can now lace up their
skates and become the stars of the game with their own created
characters - and show off their talent to the world as they
compete and level up in the EA SPORTS Hockey League with
gamers from around the globe. The all new Defensive Skill
Stick, the new Be A Pro mode, and the classic two-button
control scheme from NHL 94 are three of the several
innovations that NHL 09 will bring to the table.
-- SimAnimals(TM) -- Made exclusively for the Wii and the
Nintendo DS, SimAnimals opens up a whole new category of wild
animal games. Now for the first time, players are challenged
to engage, touch, move and try to control a wide range of
animals and their environments as they journey deeper and
deeper into the forest. An on-screen animated hand allows
players to reach out and touch, pick up and move everything in
the game from foxes and bears to trees and flowers. Players
will have fun developing relationships with wild animals and
their families, and experiencing the humor and drama of
surviving in the wilderness. SimAnimals will be available
worldwide in January 2009.
-- TheSimsCarnival.com -- You can play, create and share games
online with friends! Now in Open Beta, TheSimsCarnival.com is
a games destination website that has hundreds of games of all
kinds to play, tools to make your own games and then share
them via email or embed a game on social networking sites or
on your personal blog. Games are now truly a social experience
and one that can be shared and enjoyed by others.
-- Warhammer(R) Online: Age of Reckoning(TM) -- The worldwide
WAAAGH! begins on September 18th when hundreds of thousands of
mighty heroes will collide upon the battlefields of Warhammer
Online: Age of Reckoning, the new MMORPG from Mythic
Entertainment. Based on Games Workshop's popular Warhammer(R)
fantasy war game, WAR features next generation Realm vs.
Realm(TM) (RvR) game play that will immerse players in a world
of perpetual conflict for years to come.
Also on display for hands-on previews at EA's Studio Showcase are
titles from all four EA Labels including: BattleForge(TM); Brain
Quest(TM); Burnout(TM) Paradise; Celebrity Sports Showdown; EA SPORTS
Fantasy Football; FIFA(R) 09; iPhone games including SCRABBLE,
Soduoku, Spore(TM) Origins and Tetris(R); Mercenaries 2: World in
Flames(TM); MONOPOLY; MONOPOLY HERE & NOW: World Edition; My Sims(TM)
Kingdom; My Sims(TM); NBA LIVE 09; Nerf N' Strike; NFL Head Coach;
SimCity(TM) Creator; Skate 2, Skate It; The Lord of the Rings:
Conquest(TM); The Sims(TM) 2 Apartment Life; The Sims(TM) 2 Apartment
Pets; Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R) 09 and Travel Games For Dummies(R).
* Internet connection required.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City,
California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software
company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and
distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems,
personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic
Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM),
EA(TM), EA SPORTS Freestyle (TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2008, EA
posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold
more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is
www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of
press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, POGO, Need for Speed, SPORE,
The Sims, SimCity, Burnout, BattleForge, Mercenaries, Mercenaries 2:
World in Flames, My Sims, Boogie are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S and/or other
countries. Battlefield Heroes is a trademark or registered trademark
of EA Digital Illusions CE AB in the U.S. and/or other countries. "The
Lord of the Rings" and the names of the characters, items, events and
places therein are trademarks of SZC under license to Electronic Arts
Inc. For Dummies is a trademark or registered trademark of Wiley
Publishing, Inc. Used by license. Brain Quest is a registered
trademark of Workman Publishing Company, Inc., and Groupe Play Bac,
S.A. Tetris (R)&(C) 1985-2008 Tetris(R) Holding LLC. All Rights
Reserved. Licensed to The Tetris Company. Sub-licensed to Electronic
Arts Inc. iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc.
MONOPOLY, SCRABBLE and NERF are trademarks of Hasbro and is used with
permission. HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are
trademarks of and (C) Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Games Workshop,
Warhammer, Warhammer Online, Age of Reckoning, and all associated
marks, names, races, race insignia, characters, vehicles, locations,
units, illustrations and images from the Warhammer world are either
(R), (TM) and/or (C) Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2008. Godfather (R) & (C)
2007 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. NFL, John Madden, FIFA,
Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR and NBA are trademarks of their respective
owners and used with permission. Nintendo DS and Wii are trademarks of
Nintendo. "PlayStation", "PLAYSTATION" and "PSP" are registered
trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the
Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are
used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
EA Corporate Communications
Holly Rockwood, 650-628-7323
hrockwood@ea.com
EA Investor Relations
Tricia Gugler, 650-628-7327
tgugler@ea.com