REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & PAWTUCKET, R.I., Feb 12, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) today announced
that the two companies will launch an online entertainment and community
destination for girls based on the globally popular LITTLEST PET SHOP
brand in fall 2009. The Web-based LITTLEST PET SHOP ONLINE
experience will allow girls to play and customize their favorite pets,
connect with lots of friends, and participate in online games,
activities and events.
"The creation of a LITTLEST PET SHOP virtual world marks the
first major online collaboration designed for girls between EA and
Hasbro that masterfully blends the leadership in imagination and
innovation that each company brings from their respective industry,"
said Chip Lange, General Manager and Vice President of EA Hasbro.
"Pre-teen girls spend an enormous amount of time online and are actively
seeking something that they can connect and have fun with in a
meaningful way. LITTLEST PET SHOP ONLINE will become the safe
destination where girls go to explore and interact with their virtual
LITTLEST PET SHOP collections and friends."
EA released five LITTLEST PET SHOP video games in 2008 on the
Wii(TM), PC and Nintendo DS(TM) platforms and sold 2.8 million copies
worldwide. In the holiday quarter, LITTLEST PET SHOP was a
top-five title on the Nintendo DS in Europe and North America, based on
NPD data. A sixth game, LITTLEST PET SHOPSpring for the
Nintendo DS, is due to hit retail shelves in March 2009.
"LITTLEST PET SHOP is the 'must have' property among tween girls
worldwide," said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Gaming and
Media at Hasbro. "Building on its success of creating LITTLEST PET SHOP
digital experiences that were embraced by legions of fans, EA is once
again set to re-invent the LITTLEST PET SHOP play experience, but on a
much larger scale - the Internet. Millions of girls globally will now
have a place where they can come together to connect, collect and share
in LITTLEST PET SHOP fun."
Please visit www.lpso.com
for more details and to sign up for the LITTLEST PET SHOPONLINE
newsletter.
About LITTLEST PET SHOP
Hasbro's LITTLEST PET SHOP brand is a line of collectible mini-dolls
aimed at tween girls and their zeal for nurturing and collecting. Since
its launch in 2005, LITTLEST PET SHOP has quickly become one of the
fastest growing girl brands in the toy industry. More than 200 million
pets have been sold. Additionally, www.littlestpetshop.com
has become one of Hasbro's top-performing brand Web sites with more than
1.8 million girls creating and tracking online pet collections. The
LITTLEST PET SHOP brand is also one of the hottest licensed lifestyle
properties among young girls. Nearly 180 licensees bring LITTLEST PET
SHOP-branded goods to market around the world in every major category
from apparel and accessories to publishing, paper/stationery, and room
decor.
About Hasbro
Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure
time entertainment products and services, including the design,
manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to
high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA,
MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST
brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable
play experiences in the world. (C)2009 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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, and EA SPORTS Freestyle, and Pogo are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other
countries. LITTLEST PET SHOP is a trademark of Hasbro Inc. and is used
with permission. Nintendo DS and the Wii are trademarks of Nintendo. 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