Cover Athlete Unveiled During Live Broadcast of 2012 NHL Awards
Fans Cast Nearly 26 Million Votes In The First Ever EA SPORTS NHL
Cover Vote Campaign, Sponsored by BlackBerry
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) and NHL.com
announced today during the live broadcast of the 2012 NHL AwardsTM
that Philadelphia Flyers forward Claude Giroux has been selected by fans
as the EA SPORTS NHL®13 cover athlete.
Giroux beat Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne in the final of the
first ever EA SPORTS NHL® Cover Vote campaign by less than a
one percent margin, in what was the closest matchup of the entire
campaign. NHL 13 will be available on September 11, 2012 in North
America and September 14, 2012 in Europe.
EA SPORTS and NHL.com Announce Claude Giroux as Fan-Selected EA SPORTS NHL 13 Cover Athlete (Photo: Business Wire)
"The support fans have given me throughout the campaign has been
unbelievable," said Flyers forward Claude Giroux. "I am very excited to
be on the cover of NHL 13 and I want to thank everyone who
campaigned and voted for me - especially my teammates, the Flyers
organization, and of course all the NHL fans who voted and tweeted."
Between March 29 and June 4, fans cast nearly 26 million votes on
NHL.com throughout the campaign, which was sponsored by BlackBerry®.
During the finals alone, more than two million votes were cast.
"The level of passion that the fans, players, and NHL teams have
displayed throughout the first ever EA SPORTS NHL Cover Vote campaign
has been overwhelming," said Dean Richards, General Manager, NHL, EA
SPORTS. "The EA SPORTS NHL Franchise has had a rich tradition of
outstanding cover athletes and quality games, and we feel privileged to
introduce Claude Giroux as the face of NHL 13 as selected by the
fans. With Giroux on the cover and our revolutionary new True
Performance Skating engine, we feel great about delivering our most
innovative title yet with NHL 13."
"The EA SPORTS NHL 13 Cover Vote campaign presented by BlackBerry
was a success in every measurable way," said Dave McCarthy, NHL Vice
President of Consumer Products Marketing. "From nearly 26 million votes
cast, to fan and player engagement across social media platforms, to the
validation of NHL.com's standing as the number one destination for
hockey fans, the NHL 13 Cover Vote campaign exceeded our
expectations."
"Congratulations to Claude on being chosen by the fans as the EA SPORTS NHL
13 cover athlete," said Adam Larry, NHLPA Director of Licensing and
Associate Counsel. "We cannot say enough about the amazing job done by
all those involved with the EA SPORTS NHL Cover Vote campaign. The
terrific support that all 60 participating NHL players received from not
only fans and gamers, but also other NHL players, the teams, teammates,
friends and Twitter followers, drove the success of the campaign in its
first year."
The NHL 13 Cover Vote campaign gave fans the opportunity to
select the face of the EA
SPORTS NHL® franchise as they were able to vote
for their favorite candidate at http://www.nhl.com/covervote.
The campaign was embraced by NHL fans, teams and players who utilized
social media platforms to campaign. Outstanding examples of team and
player engagement during the cover vote final include:
NHL 13 Delivers Major Innovations
that will Change the Way You Play the Game
EA
SPORTS NHL 13 promises the
biggest change to the franchise since the introduction of the Skill
Stick in NHL® 07. Headlined by all-new
True Performance Skating, and supported by an innovative new A.I.
system dubbed EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q., NHL 13 will deliver a
revamped gameplay experience that accurately captures the speed,
creativity and strategy of NHL hockey.
‘Every Stride Matters', the latest trailer for NHL 13 can be
viewed here.
In addition, NHL 13 will also deliver new experiences that
connect hockey fans to their friends and the real world of hockey with
the all-new GM Connected and NHL Moments Live modes.
Exclusive NHL 13 Stanley Cup Collector's Edition announced. NHL
13 is available for pre-order now, click here
for more details.
Assets:
To download assets, please visit the EA press site at http://info.ea.com.
NHL® 13 is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver and has been
rated E10+ by the ESRB. The game has not yet been rated by PEGI; visit www.esrb.org
and www.pegi.info
for more information. Become a fan of EA SPORTS NHL® on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/easportsnhl
and follow us on Twitter via http://www.twitter.com/easportsnhl.
For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs,
forums and game communities, please visit www.easports.com
to connect, share and compete.
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 Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball,
NCAA® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, SSXTM,
and Fight Night boxing. For more information about EA SPORTS,
including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.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, 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. John Madden, NFL, NBA, NHL NCAA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR and FIFA are
the property of their respective owners and used with permission.
NHL® 13 is an Officially Licensed Product of the NHL and the
NHLPA. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHLPA
logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA.
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks and NHL Awards name and
logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team
marks are the property of the NHL and its teams.
© NHL 2012. All Rights Reserved.
The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are
the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50318698&lang=en
Electronic Arts Inc.
Justin Del Giudice, 604-456-4199
Communications
Specialist
JDelGiudice@ea.com
Duke
Indrasigamany, 604-456-3150
Communications Manager
dukei@ea.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
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