Cover Selection Marks First in Series of Initiatives Enabling Madden
NFL Fans to Shape Franchise
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Apr 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that New Orleans
Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been chosen by fans to be featured on
the cover of Madden NFL 11, set to hit retail shelves on Tuesday,
August 10. The Madden NFL 11 cover announcement is the result of
a first-ever online consumer vote, powered by the Doritos "Change the
Game" program, which empowered fans to select the highly-debated cover
athlete. The partnership between EA SPORTS(TM) and the Doritos brand
represents the first in a series of initiatives this year which allow
fans to help shape the future of the franchise.
Doritos "Change the Game" allowed fans to submit their vote online, with
Drew Brees winning over Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne.
"The Madden NFL franchise holds a special place in popular
culture and the cover is a coveted position for players all over the
league," said New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. "I'm honored to
be the first cover athlete chosen by Madden NFL fans and it's a
great way to cap off an amazing year for the Saints and the city of New
Orleans."
From February 4 - March 15, fans logged on to www.doritoschangethegame.com
to vote daily for one of the three nominees. Voters were also entered
into a drawing for a chance to win a trip to the 2010 NFL Draft. During
the voting period, former NFL all-stars and Madden NFL cover
legends Eddie George, Marshall Faulk and Shaun Alexander were featured
on limited-edition Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch Doritos bags to inspire
fans to vote for the next Madden NFL cover athlete.
"Drew's exceptional performance during the regular season and in Super
Bowl XLIV resonated with voters and helped cement his position as the
fans' choice to grace the cover of Madden NFL 11," said Todd
Sitrin, Group Vice President, EA SPORTS Global Marketing. "Giving fans
the power to select this year's Madden NFL cover underscores our
commitment to connecting with our fans and giving them opportunities to
influence the game."
"Doritos is always looking for unprecedented opportunities to provide
our fans access to the things they are most passionate about, and we are
thrilled we were able to partner with EA SPORTS to give consumers
complete control over this highly anticipated gaming moment," said Rudy
Wilson, vice president, marketing, Frito Lay.
Drew Brees was named Super Bowl XLIV MVP after leading the New Orleans
Saints to their first ever Super Bowl title. Following a career
threatening injury during his last season with the San Diego Chargers,
Brees joined the New Orleans Saints in 2005, less than a year after
Hurricane Katrina. Since then, Brees has helped rebuild the city and the
football team, through his successes on the field and contributions to
the community off the field.
Brees's decorated NFL career has included four Pro Bowl selections,
three All Pro selections, three NFC Offensive Player of the Year awards,
the Associated Press 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the Pro
Football Weekly 2004 Comeback Player of the Year. Off the field,
Brees has been a champion as well through his charity - the Brees Dream
Foundation - and his work in the New Orleans, San Diego and West
Lafayette/Purdue, Ind. communities, which have provided over $4,500,000
to charitable causes and academic institutions.
Beyond the cover athlete selection, the franchise has also recently
introduced two new initiatives that further enable fans to influence Madden
NFL 11. From March 31 - April 26, fans have had the ability to vote
on three match-ups through the Madden
NFL website and determine which teams would be featured in the Madden
NFL 11 game demo: a Super Bowl rematch, or a replay of one of the
Conference Championship games. During the 2010 NFL Draft, fans will have
the opportunity to influence rookie player ratings in Madden NFL 11
via online votes on the Madden
NFL website.
Madden NFL 11 will redefine videogame football for both veteran
and rookie players by providing a Simpler, Quicker and Deeper
experience:
-
Simpler: Call plays like an NFL coach with ease using an
all-new play-calling system, GameFlow, which executes an authentic,
situational game plan for you.
-
Quicker: The new play-calling system will enable players to
spend more time on the field and less in the playbook - completing
games in half of the time.
-
Deeper: Madden NFL 11 is feature-rich, with improved
animations and control options, enhanced online functionality, and new
broadcast and audio presentation that delivers the NFL experience fans
have come to expect.
Madden NFL 11 will be available on the Xbox 360(R) video game
system from Microsoft, PlayStation(R)2 and PlayStation 3 computer
entertainment systems, Wii(TM), and PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) handheld
entertainment system. Madden NFL 11 will also be available for
download globally on mobile platforms including iPod(R) touch and iPhone(R)
and feature phones.
Madden NFL 11 is developed in Orlando, Florida by the EA Tiburon
studio, which also produces NCAA(R) Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R), and
EA SPORTS(TM) MMA.
For more information about Madden NFL 11 please visit maddenNFL.easports.com.
Consumers should also check in regularly at www.doritoschangethegame.com
for details on what's to come from Doritos and Madden NFL 11. For
pack art and screenshot assets from Madden NFL 11 please visit http://info.ea.com.
All player participation has been facilitated by NFL PLAYERS, the
licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.
EA SPORTS(TM) is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the
world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive
technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital
experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports
through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden
NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL(R) hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA(R)
Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing and Tiger Woods PGA
TOUR(R) golf, EA SPORTS MMA and EA SPORTS Active(TM).
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs,
forums and game communities, please visit www.easports.com
to connect, share and compete.
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: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA Mobile(TM)
and POGO(TM). 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, POGO and EA SPORTS Active are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other
countries. John Madden, NFL, NBA, FIFA, NHL, NCAA, NASCAR, Tiger Woods
and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with
permission. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. Xbox and the Xbox 360 are
trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. PlayStation and PSP are
registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. iPod and
iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other
countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
About Frito-Lay
Doritos tortilla chips is one of the many brand that make up Frito-Lay
North America, the $12 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo
(NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. In addition to
Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods,
Gatorade and Tropicana. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web
site, http://www.fritolay.com/,
the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/
and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fritolay.
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and
beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each
generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main
businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade -
also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that
bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized
revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our
unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with
Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices
for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental
impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo
balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities
worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts,
PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability
World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones
Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For
more information, please visit www.pepsico.com
About NFL PLAYERS
Formed in 1994, NFL PLAYERS is the licensing and marketing subsidiary of
the NFL Players Association. Representing more than 1,800 active and
many memorable retired NFL players, NFL PLAYERS "takes the helmets off"
the players and markets them as personalities as well as professional
athletes. Through an exclusive sponsorship agreement between the
organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor
activation programs. In addition, under an exclusive agreement between
NFL PLAYERS and the NFL, NFLPLAYERS.COM, the company's official website,
is part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year NFL PLAYERS negotiates
and facilitates extensive player marketing opportunities for players.
NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships
and promotions, special events, radio and television projects,
publishing and internet. For more information, please visit
NFLPLAYERS.COM.
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SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
Electronic Arts Inc.
Rob Semsey, 407-386-5337
Sr. PR Manager
rsemsey@ea.com
or
Fleishman Hillard
Steve Hickok, 212-453-2353
hickoks@fleishman.com
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