Biggest Launch-Day Performance On iOS In EA History
Anticipation For European Launch Peaks With 1.3 Million Pre-Orders
Worldwide
Critics Rave with More Than Three Dozen 90+ Review Scores
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) announced today that EA SPORTS™ FIFA
Soccer 13 has launched to unprecedented opening day sales in
North America with 353,000* games sold—a 42* percent increase
year-over-year—on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and
Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system. Those fans across North
America played a staggering 1.4 million online games in the first 24
hours after the game launched, up 35 percent year-over-year. It was also
the biggest global launch-day performance of any iOS game on iPhone®,
iPad®, and iPod touch® in EA history. FIFA Soccer 13 launched
Tuesday across North America and will be available around the world
beginning Friday.
EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 13 day one Sales up 42 Percent in North America (Photo: Business Wire)
Momentum in North America was fuelled by a launch event in New York
hosted by Snoop Lion that propelled the hashtag #SnoopsFIFA13 trending
in the United States and worldwide on Twitter, midnight openings at over
2,000 retail stores across the country, and game quality. Critics are
praising FIFA Soccer 13 with 39 review scores of 90 or above.
Eurogamer Spain awarded FIFA Soccer 13 a perfect 100 score,
Multiplayer in Italy called it the "best FIFA ever" and JeuxVideo
Magazine said "FIFA 13 approaches a form of perfection."
It was also a record-setting opening for FIFA Soccer 13 on iOS
around the world. FIFA Soccer 13 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
achieved the biggest launch-day performance of any EA iOS game in
history, with downloads up 62 percent over last year*. FIFA Soccer 13
also hit No. 1 in Top Paid Games in 55 countries and No. 1 in Top
Grossing Games in 24 countries on the App Store^.
Similar to North America, there is unprecedented anticipation for FIFA
Soccer 13 around the rest of the world. For the first time in the
history of EA SPORTS, over 1.3 million games** (and still counting) have
been preordered worldwide, pointing toward a historic opening when the
game launches around the world on Friday.
"We're thrilled that fans throughout North America have embraced FIFA
Soccer 13 in such a big way," said Andrew Wilson, Executive Vice
President of EA SPORTS. "North Americans appreciate a great-playing game
and their level of engagement with our game is helping to drive the
sport's popularity in the United States."
During the month of September four North American cities—Los Angeles,
New York, Toronto and Chicago—trailed only London, England, among the
top five cities^^ with the most engaged fans among the 10 million fans
in the EA SPORTS soccer community on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa.
Additionally, the FIFA Soccer 13 demo was played by 294,000
first-time FIFA Soccer fans in the United States. In a story
published Tuesday on ESPN.com that can be read here http://es.pn/OnKiwc,
leading soccer journalist Roger Bennett credited the EA SPORTS FIFA
Soccer franchise as being a key driver in the popularity of soccer
in the United States.
FIFA Soccer 13 captures the unpredictability of the real-world
sport with breakthrough features like First Touch Control that ensure no
two matches ever play the same, and new online services like EA SPORTS
Football Club Match Day that completely connect FIFA Soccer 13 to
the real-world season for the world's top leagues. The FIFA Soccer 13
demo is available through Origin™, Xbox LIVE® and PlayStation Network. FIFA
Soccer 13 trailers, screenshots and fact sheet are available at http://info.ea.com.
FIFA Soccer 13 will be available for now in retail stores
throughout North America, and as a digital download through Origin. The
videogame is available for the PlayStation 3 with PlayStation Move
support, Xbox 360 with Kinect™, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment
system, Nintendo Wii™ console, PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment
system, Nintendo 3DS™, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and
November 18 on Nintendo Wii U™ system. The game is available on the App
Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. FIFA Soccer 13 is rated E
for everyone by the ESRB and Pegi 3+.
Join more 10 million fans in the EA SPORTS football community at http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa
or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/easportsfifa.
The FIFA Soccer 13 website is http://www.ea.com/ca/fifa-soccer-13
EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the
world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive
technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA
SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports
through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL
football, FIFA, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA®
Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, SSX™, and Fight
Night boxing. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news,
video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com.
*According to internal data
** according to internal sales data as of September 25, 2012 in NA, and
Sept. 22 in EU
^ According to AppAnnie.com
^^ According to Facebook.com
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive
entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services
for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones,
tablets and social networks. EA has more than 220 million registered
players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion.
Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a
portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such
as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and
Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
EA SPORTS, Origin, The Sims, SSX and Need for Speed are trademarks of
Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International
(Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital
Illusions CE AB. Official FIFA licensed product. "© The FIFA name and
OLP Logo are copyright or trademark protected by FIFA. All rights
reserved." Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc. John
Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are the property
of their respective owners and used with permission. "PlayStation" and
"PSP" "are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
KINECT and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies
and are used under license from Microsoft. Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo
3DS are trademarks of Nintendo. iPad, iPod and iPhone are trademarks of
Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Facebook is a
registered trademark of Facebook, Inc. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50423125&lang=en

Electronic Arts Inc.
Steve Frost, 604-456-5067
Manager,
Communications
sfrost@ea.com
Colin
Macrae, 604-456-3685
Sr. Director, Communications
cmacrae@ea.com
David
Tinson, 650-628-5189
VP, Communications
dtinson@ea.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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