Launch of FIFA 09 Ultimate Team Drives Record Number of Online
Game Sessions for FIFA 09
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Apr 22, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- EA SPORTS(TM), a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today
announced that 500 million online games have been played since launching
its '09 product line last June. On average, more than 2.2 million EA
SPORTS games are played online each day, which reflects an increase of
more than 175 percent over last year.
"The massive migration to online gaming has transformed the video game
landscape, and this week's 500 millionth online EA SPORTS game
highlights the radical shift that we've helped pioneer in the industry,"
said Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS. "Online gameplay allows
real-time competitions with fans from around the world who speak the
global language of sports. EA SPORTS is committed to providing personal
access to the emotion of sports by continuing to create immersive online
features, compelling new downloadable content and daily real-time stats
updates."
FIFA 09 Ultimate Team, which launched March 19, has sparked the
highest online activity for FIFA 09 in the lifecycle of the
product. Theunique, downloadable game mode delivers a strategic
new online experience to the award-winning FIFA 09 product,
winner of 25 international game quality awards. FIFA 09 Ultimate Team
challenges gamers to collect or create the most talented soccer players
in the world, develop them into a dream team and then compete online.
EA SPORTS also recently launched of 3 on 3 NHL(R) Arcade and NCAA(R)
Basketball 09: March Madness Edition as digital downloads. From the
makers of NHL 09, winner of 12 Sports Game of the Year awards, 3
on 3 NHL Arcade immediately became the most downloaded game on Xbox
LIVE Arcade for two straight weeks.
Six EA SPORTS titles have more than 500,000 registered online users -
including Madden NFL 09 and FIFA 09 with more than 2.4
million each - to help drive its record online usage numbers. Users have
logged more than 4 billion minutes of EA SPORTS games since last
summer, and currently play the equivalent of more than 35 years of
games each day.
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(TM), EA SPORTS(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 and POGO are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
John Madden, NFL, NHL, FIFA and NCAA are trademarks of their respective
owners and used with permission.
SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
EA Corporate Communications
Holly Rockwood, 650-628-7323
hrockwood@ea.com
or
EA SPORTS
David Tinson, 650-628-5189
dtinson@ea.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009