REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jun 22, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today revealed that 20-year-old
scoring phenom Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks will be the new
face of the NHL(R)
10 videogame from EA SPORTS(TM). Kane is the youngest player ever
chosen for the cover of the NHL franchise and his image will be on the
front of all packaging when NHL 10 is available in North American
retail stores this September.
Having emerged as one of the most skilled players in the NHL in just two
seasons, Kane won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 2008 and
this year led the Blackhawks to the Western Conference Finals. He has
scored more than 20 goals and registered more than 70 points in each of
his first two seasons.
"It's exciting to be on the cover of my favorite videogame after playing
just my second year as a professional," said Kane. "When you look back
at some of the great players who have had this opportunity, it's an
honor to be a part of the EA SPORTS family and contribute to a game I've
been playing for more than 10 years."
EA SPORTS also announced that it has signed Canadian junior hockey
scoring sensation John Tavares, expected to be the top pick in the 2009
NHL Entry Draft, to promote the release of NHL 10. Tavares will
join Kane, the first overall draft pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, as
spokespersons for NHL 10.
"It's exciting for me to team up with Patrick to promote EA SPORTS and
get the chance to play NHL 10 before it's in stores," said Tavares. "Now
I'm looking forward to the draft and finding out which team will select
me."
"At EA SPORTS we believe in identifying the most talented up-and-coming
athletes in the world to help us develop the most authentic sports
games," said Jordan Edelstein, Vice-President of Marketing for EA
SPORTS. "We believe Kane is one of the next great American hockey stars
and Tavares will have an immediate impact in the league."
Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom was earlier named a cover
athlete on NHL 10 packaging in Sweden. Additional regional cover
athletes for Finland, Denmark and Switzerland will be named at a later
date. NHL 10 will be in retail stores across Europe on September
18.
A native of Buffalo, NY, Kane is just the second American-born player to
be featured on the cover of the top-selling* EA SPORTS hockey videogame
franchise. New York Rangers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck was the first
when he was featured on the cover of NHL 97.
The EA SPORTS NHL(R) franchise has won 19 Sports Game of the Year awards
over the past two years and this month named by Gamespot.com as the Best
Sports Game of E3. This year the NHL 10 franchise begins a new era with
gameplay innovations that deliver all-new board play, first-person
fighting and over 200 gameplay refinements that replicate the skill and
finesse of NHL hockey.
Box art and screenshots of Patrick Kane are available at http://info.ea.com.
For more info please visit http://beta.easports.com/
NHL 10 will be available for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer
entertainment system and Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system
with an MSRP of $59.99. It is developed by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C.
The game is rated E10+.
CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency, brokered the deals on
behalf of clients Kane and Tavares.
EA SPORTS(TM) is the leading interactive sports software brand in the
world, with top-selling titles and franchises including Madden NFL
football, FIFA Soccer, NHL(R) hockey, NBA
LIVE basketball, NCAA(R) Football, and Tiger
Woods PGA TOUR(R).
*Based on total sales in 2008 according to the NPD.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is
a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in
1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive
software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless
devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under
four brand names: EATM, EA SPORTSTM, EA Mobile TM
and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of
$4.2 billion and had 31 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 Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
NHL is a registered trademark of the National Hockey League. John
Madden, NFL, FIFA, NBA, NCAA, and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR are trademarks of
their respective owners and used with permission. Xbox and Xbox 360 are
registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. "PLAYSTATION"
is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National
Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and
its teams.All Rights Reserved.NHL 10 is an Officially
Licensed Product of the NHL.
NHL 10 is an Officially Licensed Product of the NHLPA. NHLPA,
National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHLPA logo are
trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5992231&lang=en
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
Electronic Arts Inc.
Steve Frost, Sr. Publicist, 604-456-5067
sfrost@ea.com
Jen Riley, PR Manager, 604-456-5081
jriley@ea.com
David Tinson, Sr. Director, Communications, 650-628-5189
dtinson@ea.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009