First EA SPORTS NHL Title on Wii to Include Hockey Stick Controller
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Jun 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) revealed today that EA SPORTS(TM) is
developing their first ever NHL(R) hockey title for the Wii(TM) Console, NHL(R)SLAPSHOT,
and that NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky will grace the cover. NHL(R)SLAPSHOT
introduces a revolutionary hockey stick controller that allows players
to shoot, pass and body check just like the pros. In addition to having
his likeness on the front of all packaging, Gretzky will be available as
a playable character in the game when NHL(R) SLAPSHOT is available
in retail stores this September.
"EA SPORTS(TM) has been making great hockey games in Canada for 20 years
now, and the team behind the game is really passionate about the sport,"
said Gretzky. "Being on the cover of the new Wii version of the game is
exciting and is probably going to make me a bit cooler in the eyes of my
kids."
Gretzky is an NHL legend who accumulated a long list of accomplishments
and awards during his 21 year career as a player in the NHL. He
currently holds 40 regular-season records, 15 playoff records, six
All-Star records, and is the only NHL player to have ever recorded 200
points in a season. Since retiring as a player from the NHL, Gretzky has
been very active in the hockey world, serving as Executive Director of
the gold medal winning 2002 Canadian men's national ice hockey team, and
acting as a special advisor to the gold medal winning 2010 Canadian
men's national ice hockey team.
"Making our games as close to the real thing has always been our focus,"
says EA SPORTS Creative Director, David Littman. "Now we are giving
players an actual plastic hockey stick that the Wii Remote(TM) and Nunchuk(TM)
controllers plug into. Players can then use the new NHL(R) SLAPSHOT
Hockey Stick to do all the moves in the game."
NHL(R) SLAPSHOT is currently in development at EA Canada in
Vancouver, BC and will be available for the Wii system in September,
2010. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.
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, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R)
golf, and EA SPORTS Active(TM).
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs,
forums and game apps, 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 SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA Mobile(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2010,
EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold
more than one million units. 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 a registered
trademark of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. NHL is a registered
trademark of the National Hockey League. John Madden, NFL, NBA, FIFA,
NHL, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective
owners and used with permission. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. All
other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey
League. All Rights Reserved.
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SOURCE: Electronic Arts Inc.
Electronic Arts Inc.
Duke Indrasigamany, 604-456-3150
Sr. Publicist
dukei@ea.com
Jen Riley, 604-456-5081
PR Director
jriley@ea.com
David Tinson, 650-628-5189
Sr. Director, Communications
dtinson@ea.com
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