More Than Five Million Copies Sold at Retail in 2006
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec 26, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced that Madden NFL 07, the EA
SPORTS™ best-selling football franchise with the exclusive
videogame license of the NFL and PLAYERS INC, has sold more than five
million copies to consumers on a total of ten game platforms. EA
believes, based on its own internal data as well as industry sources,
that across all game platforms, Madden NFL 07 will finish as North
America's most popular game of 2006.
Since its launch in August, Madden NFL 07 has had a
record-breaking season, with first week retail sales of more than two
million copies.
In November, Madden NFL 07 launched on the PLAYSTATION®3
computer entertainment system and the Nintendo Wii™. Innovative use
of the Wii Remote created a whole new experience and made Madden NFL
07 one of the most innovative and popular games on the Wii. Madden NFL
07 is also one of the top titles on the Xbox 360 video game and
entertainment system. In the first week on that system, players
unlocked more than 600,000 achievements and recorded more than two
million hours of online game play on Xbox Live®.
For 2006, through November, Madden NFL 07 retail sales are
currently ranked in the top ten on six platforms and is the
top-selling game on the PlayStation®2 and Xbox®(1). It is also one
of the top selling games for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and Wii(1).
"Madden NFL 07 is the must-have game for players to realize the
full power of the new systems like the Wii, PLAYSTATION3 and Xbox
360," said Todd Sitrin, VP of Marketing for the EA SPORTS brand. "EA's
Tiburon Studio has once again set the bar for innovation and consumers
have responded. This has been an amazing holiday season for Madden NFL
07."
Madden NFL Football has become a cultural phenomenon with the
launch day coined Maddenoliday, becoming a highly anticipated event
and holiday for many avid fans. Not only has the franchise become a
cultural phenomenon, but Madden NFL 07 has also become the must-have
game for many athletes, including the NFL players. The 12th Annual EA
SPORTS Madden Bowl will be hosted in Miami, Florida on February 1,
2007 and will showcase NFL players battling it out to earn the highly
coveted title of Madden Bowl champion.
Adding to the Madden Phenomenon is the Madden Challenge and Madden
Nation, for the most loyal of the Madden fans. The 2006 EA SPORTS
Madden Challenge, the fifth annual and only official EA Madden
tournament, will crown the best player of Madden NFL 07 and award a
check for $100,000 on February 8 in Hawaii. Winners will come from 31
regional competitions. And for the second year, ESPN and EA have
teamed up for Madden Nation, a reality show centered around Madden NFL
07. The eight-episode series pits the nation's top 13 Madden NFL 07
gamers along with real-life NFL player sponsors against each other in
elimination-style tournaments on a 12-city bus tour. The Madden Nation
winner will also win a $100,000 prize.
In its 17th year and with more than two billion in retail sales
life to date, Madden NFL Football continues to stand out as the most
popular football videogame franchise of all time with a combination of
innovative new features and the most authentic football gameplay.
Developed in Orlando, FL by EA Tiburon, Madden NFL 07 is available
PLAYSTATION 3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360™ , the PlayStation®2, the
Xbox® video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube™,
Nintendo DS™, PC, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld
entertainment system and Game Boy® Advance. Madden NFL 07 is rated
"E" (Everyone) by the ESRB.
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 videogame systems,
personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic
Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™,
EA™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2006, EA posted
revenue of $2.95 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.
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, and POGO are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.
S. and/or other countries. Madden and NFL are trademarks of their
respective owners and used with permission. "PLAYSTATION",
"PlayStation, and the "PSP" are registered trademarks of SCEI.
Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox 360 are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Nintendo, Nintendo GameCube, Wii,
Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance are trademarks of Nintendo. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
(1) Source: NPD Group
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.