Sell-Through Up 7% in First 24 Hours for New Record on HD Console
Generation
Record Number of Players Competing Online Together on Day One
Biggest Single-Year Rise in Critical Acclaim for an EA SPORTS Game in
Four Years
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced today a huge first day for Madden
NFL 13, which launched Tuesday across North America. Madden NFL
13 scored record day one retail sales, record day one online usage
and it's enjoying the best critical acclaim the game has seen in years.
Madden NFL 13 Xbox 360 Box Art (Photo: Business Wire)
Based on internal estimates, sell-through for Madden NFL 13 was
up 7 percent year-over-year on HD platforms with 900K units sold in its
first 24 hours on the market, its best start ever on this console
generation. The franchise also set a day one online usage record with a
28 percent jump in peak simultaneous users over last year's first day.
"It was a phenomenal first day for Madden NFL 13, and we have
high expectations for this great game to be popular throughout the fall
and into the holidays," said Seong Ohm, Walmart SVP of Entertainment.
"We're excited that our partnership with EA has helped deliver our
customers unique access and content to this great game. There's
incredible demand for Madden NFL 13, and it's easy to see why
people are loving it."
Critics are praising the game with nine scores of 90 or above, and
aggregated reviews of Madden NFL 13 show the biggest single-year
jump in critical acclaim for an EA SPORTS™ game in four years*.
GamesRadar said the game is "brimming with innovation on and off the
field" and IGN.com said "it all adds up to Madden NFL 13
being something truly special."
Not only are fans playing Madden NFL 13, but they're talking
about it. Since the launch of Madden NFL 13 for EA SPORTS Season
Ticket consumers on August 24th, there have been 665,464 total social
interactions on Facebook and Twitter combined, and the game has been
mentioned on average every six seconds on Twitter.
"Madden NFL 13 is the most innovative entry the franchise has
ever seen and we're thrilled that fans have embraced it with such a huge
first day," said Andrew Wilson, Executive Vice President of EA SPORTS.
"As we approach the kickoff of the NFL season next week, the football
community is whetting their appetites by playing Madden NFL 13 in
record numbers. With the combination of the cutting-edge Infinity Engine
and new Connected Careers fans are truly getting their football fix with
the best Madden NFL game ever."
Madden NFL 13 on Xbox 360® and PlayStation®3 delivers physics you
can feel on every play, and will connect you to the NFL and other fans
like never before. Powered by the all-new Infinity Engine, every impact
on the field is more intense; every battle is more authentic; and no two
plays will every look or feel the same. With Connected Careers you'll
build your legacy as a player or coach within a completely new and fully
connected universe, accessible on and off the console. With deep new
gameplay innovation, social integration, and an overhaul of the audio
and visual presentation, Madden NFL 13 is the biggest
game-changer in the history of the franchise.
Madden NFL 13 is developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon. Madden
NFL 13 is now available and retails for $59.99 on the Xbox 360®
video game system and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Madden
NFL 13 is also available for $49.99 on the Wii™ console from
Nintendo, and $39.99 on PlayStation® Vita System. To learn more about Madden
NFL 13, visit http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl.
For Madden NFL 13 assets, visit: http://maddennfl13.newslinevine.com/
or http://info.ea.com.
All player participation has been facilitated by National Football
League Players Incorporated, the licensing and marketing subsidiary of
the NFL Players Association.
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, SSX™
and Fight Night boxing.
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 (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, SSX, The Sims 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, FIFA, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods, and PGA TOUR
are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission.
Twitter is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners.
"PlayStation" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment
Inc. KINECT, Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of
companies and are used under license from Microsoft. Wii is a trademark
of Nintendo. © 2006 Nintendo.
Officially Licensed Product of NFL PLAYERS Incorporated.
*Source: Metacritic.com
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50392705&lang=en
David Tinson
VP, Communications
650-628-5189
dtinson@ea.com
Adam
Tanielian
Sr. Director, Communications
312-485-0076
atanielian@ea.com
Julie
Foster
Sr. Communications Manager
407-386-5184
jfoster@ea.com
Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media