Highly Anticipated Hasbro-Branded Video Games to Be Showcased at
Consumer Electronics Show Booth # 72201
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jan 06, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Fans of casual, family-friendly games are about to see their circle of
fun widen with a slate of new Hasbro-branded digital play experiences on
a variety of platforms from Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:ERTS) in 2009.
Leading the charge is SCRABBLE, which rocketed to the No. 1
position on Pogo.com(TM)
with more than 2.5 million players laying down virtual tiles since its
June 2008 launch. The best-selling crossword puzzle board game is on
deck to land on handheld platforms including the Nintendo DS(TM) and Sony
PlayStation(R)Portable system (PSP(R)) in March 2009 in the US and Canada.
EA is also gearing up to inject nostalgic fun into the Xbox LIVE(R) Arcade
by bringing perennial board game favorites to the popular platform.
Under a Hasbro Family Game Night banner, games such as SCRABBLE
(US and Canada only), BOGGLE, BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE,
CONNECT FOUR, SORRY! and SORRY!Sliders will
begin to roll out in Spring 2009. EA will showcase the highly
anticipated lineup at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8-11,
2009 in Las Vegas.
"We believe our Hasbro Family Game Night channel on Xbox LIVE
Arcade will be one of the most dynamic and fun collections available on
the platform," said Chip Lange, General Manager of EA Hasbro. "We've
been given the unique opportunity to create an exclusive EA Hasbro
branded destination within the Xbox LIVE Arcade so players can easily
find and play our lineup of family-friendly digital board games. Just as
families have game closets in their home, they will also be able to
stock a digital game closet serving up hours of interactive play for
kids and adults alike."
"The consumer response to Hasbro's brands arriving on digital platforms
in such fresh, inventive ways has been incredibly positive," said Mark
Blecher, General Manager of Digital Media and Gaming at Hasbro. "SCRABBLE
alone has taken the US and Canadian markets by storm in a very short
period of time and we expect the momentum to remain at full throttle
through the Nintendo DS and PSP handheld releases and beyond. The level
of creativity and meticulous execution that EA has poured into the
re-imagination of the SCRABBLE and Hasbro Family Game Night
experiences have set the bar very high for the many other games under
development, but we're confident that we've just scratched the surface
of what digital fun feels, looks and plays like. It's going to be a very
exciting year for casual game fans."
SCRABBLE on the Nintendo DS and PSP will offer something for
every crossword puzzle fan with three modes of play including: Classic,
which offers traditional play; Speed, where players race the clock; and,
the new fast paced SCRABBLESLAM card game, where players
try to be the first to discard all their SLAM cards by making
four letter words. SLAM will be available for the first time
digitally on the handheld versions of SCRABBLE. With six
difficulty levels, SCRABBLE will serve up a Training mode with
six training exercises that enable new or rusty players to polish their
skills before their first big showdown. SCRABBLE comes loaded
with extras such as SCRABBLE Word Finder and Wi-Fi multiplayer
capability (both single and multi-cart play). Debuting in March 2009,
the Nintendo DS and PSP games are expected to be rated "E" for Everyone
and carry an MSRP of $29.99.
The SCRABBLE Nintendo DS and PSP games will join the roster of
previously released versions which have proven to hold great appeal,
similar to its board game counterpart. In the past two years, EA
launched three separate mobile versions of the game (in the US and
Canada only) - including SCRABBLE for the iPod(R), iPhone(TM) and
feature phones. Online versions of SCRABBLE also launched on
Pogo.com and social networking sites in June 2008. All have been widely
adopted and received accolades across platforms.
- SCRABBLE was the No. 1 multiplayer game in its launch month,
competing against more than 100 other offerings on Pogo.com.
In July 2008, more than 5 million SCRABBLE games were played,
equating to 4.3 million hours of play.
- SCRABBLE for the iPhone and iPod touch launched in July and
quickly rose into the top 25 of all applications. Today, out of over
8,000 applications on the App Store, SCRABBLE remains in or
near the top 50.
EA and Hasbro will stock Xbox LIVE Arcade with Hasbro Family Game
Night, a crowd-pleasing assortment of games that are instantly
recognizable household names such as SCRABBLE, CONNECT FOUR,
BOGGLE, YAHTZEE, BATTLESHIP, SORRY!, and SORRY!
Sliders. All games will feature both original and new ways to play,
including a Party Mode that features multiple mini-game versions of each
title. Additional customization features will allow players to earn
virtual trophies, furniture and themes to decorate their personal
virtual game rooms. The Hasbro Family Game Night lineup will take
full advantage of Xbox LIVE community features such as online play,
Achievements, the ability to launch new games without leaving the
environment, and sharing customized space with friends. The EA Hasbro
virtual game closet is slated to open in Spring 2009 with multiple games
followed by additional releases throughout the year.
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 SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS
FreestyleTM and POGOTM. 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.
About Scrabble
A family favorite since 1948, the Scrabble Brand Crossword game has sold
more than 100 million sets worldwide since its debut 60 years ago. Today
there are between one and two million Scrabble games sold each year in
North America and it can be found in one out of every three homes in
America. The latest version, Scrabble: Diamond Anniversary Edition, was
released in 2008 in celebration of the game's ongoing popularity for the
past six decades.Through an alliance forged between Hasbro and
Electronic Arts (EA), Scrabble has also landed on digital gaming
platforms including mobile phones, iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, Facebook
and Pogo.com, EA's popular online gaming destination. Additionally, The
National Scrabble Association sanctions more than 250 Scrabble
tournaments and 300 Scrabble clubs in the United States and Canada.
About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family
leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and
entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and
most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a
brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market a
range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to
high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as TRANSFORMERS,
PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, CRANIUM and
WIZARDS OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com.
(C) 2008 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle, Pogo and Pogo.com are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other
countries. FAMILY GAME NIGHT, BATTLESHIP, BOGGLE, CONNECT 4, SORRY!, and
YAHTZEE are trademarks of Hasbro Inc. SCRABBLE and the distinctive game
board and letter tiles are trademarks of Hasbro in the United States and
Canada and are used with permission. Nintendo DS is a trademark of
Nintendo. Xbox LIVE is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies.
"PlayStation" and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc. iPod and iPhone are registered trademarks of Apple
Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
EA Hasbro
Alexis Mervin, 650-628-7703
amervin@ea.com
or
Foghorn PR (For EA)
Shelly Eckenroth, 717-852-7060
seckenroth@foghornpr.com
or
Hasbro Corporate Communications
Julie Duffy, 401-727-5931
jduffy@hasbro.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009
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