| ELECTRONIC ARTS
TO DEVELOP FOR MICROSOFT XBOX World's
Largest Games Publisher and Developer to Produce
Up to 10 Titles in Console's First Six Months
Microsoft
Corp. (Nasdaq "MSFT) and Electronic Arts
(EA) (Nasdaq "ERTS"), the leading video
games software publisher and developer, today
announced that EA will bring its world-renowned
games to the Xbox™ video game system,
Microsoft's highly anticipated, future-generation
video game console scheduled to launch in fall
2001. Famous for titles such as "Madden
NFL™ Football," "NASCAR®
2000," "FIFA" and "F1
2000" racing, EA will make use of the
unsurpassed graphics, audio and multiplayer
capabilities of Xbox to create breakthrough
gaming experiences for consumers.
Under
the terms of the multiyear agreement, EA will
commit its worldwide studios to Xbox games
development; the company expects to publish up to
10 titles in support of the system's launch. To
get started immediately on Xbox games
development, EA has ordered 500 Xbox Development
Kits (XDKs) from Microsoft.
"We're
excited about Xbox and Microsoft's commitment to
the platform," said Larry Probst, EA's
chairman and CEO. "Microsoft has the vision,
the technology and the resources required to make
a significant impact on our industry."
Robbie
Bach, senior vice president of Microsoft's Games
Division and chief Xbox officer (CXO), said,
"EA is recognized as the world leader in
game software. With them onboard, it further
ensures gamers around the world that the best and
brightest developers will be delivering
previously unforeseen possibilities in gameplay
on Xbox."
EA
has worked closely with Microsoft, providing
feedback on the development of Xbox as an ideal
platform for developers, a compelling business
for publishers and an unrivaled gaming experience
for consumers. EA was a founding member of
Microsoft's Xbox Advisory Board, a group
dedicated to helping Xbox become the ultimate
development platform that delivers groundbreaking
experiences.
"When
we saw the hardware specification and talked to
the Xbox team, we knew that this console was
going to be popular with novice and hardcore
gamers alike," said Don Mattrick, president
of EA Worldwide Studio Operations. "Titles
like 'Madden NFL 2001, 'SSX' snowboarding and
'Knockout Kings' boxing are going to look great
on Xbox."
The
alliance between Microsoft and EA represents
another key Xbox milestone. To date, Microsoft
has secured more than 200 of the world's top game
companies to develop and publish content for
Xbox. In addition, more than 18 developers have
committed to making exclusive Xbox titles to be
published under the Microsoft label. All
companies working on Xbox games will benefit from
Microsoft's commitment to a $500 million Xbox
marketing budget.
About
Xbox
Scheduled
for release in fall 2001, Xbox is
Microsoft's future-generation video game console
that delivers superior graphics, better audio and
the most intense, action-packed gaming
experiences available. All this is possible
because Xbox has at least three times the
graphics performance of the newest generation of
game consoles.
About
Electronic Arts
Electronics
Arts (Nasdaq "ERTS"), headquartered in
Redwood City, Calif., is the world's leading
interactive entertainment software company.
Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues
of more than $1.4 billion for fiscal year 2000.
The company develops, publishes and distributes
software worldwide for personal computers and
video game systems. EA markets its products under
three brand names: EA GAMES™, EA
SPORTS™ and EA.COMSM.
http://www.ea.com
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