Software22.05.2013

New EA SPORTS IGNITE engine to power EA SPORTS games on next generation consoles

Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, NBA LIVE 14 and EA SPORTS UFC to launch within next 12 months

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) announced that it has developed EA SPORTS™ IGNITE, a new game engine that will power EA SPORTS games on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PlayStation®4. Fueled by EA SPORTS IGNITE, EA SPORTS games will be alive with players who think, move, and behave like real athletes and dynamic living worlds, transforming the way people play and experience games on next gen consoles. Created with the EA SPORTS IGNITE engine, Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, NBA LIVE 14, and EA SPORTS™ UFC, will each launch within the next 12 months.

EA SPORTS IGNITE blends new technology with the best rendering, run-time physics, animation, intelligence, locomotion, and online systems from across EA into one powerful, new engine. Athletes will possess human-like intelligence for advanced decision-making, players will have the agility required to change speeds and directions with true athletic motion, and living worlds will make the game experience as rich and dynamic as real-world stadiums and arenas. A video showcasing how EA SPORTS games will look and play on Xbox One can be viewed here.

“Through years of investment and innovation, we have built technology across EA SPORTS to create a game engine that will deliver stunning accuracy, realism and experiences that we previously could only dream about,” said Andrew Wilson, Executive Vice President and Head of EA SPORTS. “With EA SPORTS IGNITE and the power of next generation consoles, our games will come alive—with more authenticity, more emotion, more connectivity, and more fun.”

Athletes in EA SPORTS next gen games will be able to make intelligent decisions with human-like reaction times. EA SPORTS IGNITE computes four times more calculations per second than previous consoles, unlocking nearly infinite potential for how players think, and enabling them to make more difficult decisions faster.

Players are alive with contextual awareness and instincts—thinking, anticipating, and reacting—just like real athletes, and players are conscious of their environment. In FIFA 14, for example, a player’s sense of urgency increases as the match draws on and a goal is needed, rushing to take a free kick, corner, or goal-kick if time is running down.

EA SPORTS IGNITE will deliver the dynamic movements and biomechanics of the world’s best athletes. With 10 times more animation depth and detail than previous consoles, and thousands of new sport-specific animations to drive new locomotion systems, players now plant, pivot and cut, quickly change speeds, and shift momentum with the agility and explosiveness of superstar athletes.

EA SPORTS games for the next generation will have stunning accuracy and visuals. By creating living worlds, the in-game environment is now as dynamic as real-world stadiums and arenas that change throughout a match. For the first time ever, 3D crowds and dynamic sidelines will impact the experience, and rich sports atmospheres will change organically based on the progress of a match. Player actions will change depending on the situation, and crowds will have an expectation of how a game is likely to play out, and react accordingly.

Madden NFL 25, FIFA 14, EA SPORTS UFC and NBA LIVE 14, will release worldwide within the next 12 months on Xbox One and the PlayStation 4, and will be available for pre-order soon. Madden NFL 25 will release in North America on August 27 and worldwide on August 30 on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. FIFA 14 will also be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, PC and additional platforms. The release date has not yet been announced.

For more information about EA SPORTS IGNITE, watch the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxE5MaKuCEc, visit www.easports.com/ignite or join the EA SPORTS community at http://www.facebook.com/easports. Follow us on Twitter @easports and use the hash tag #EASPORTSIGNITE. For information about EA SPORTS games visit www.easports.com.

FIFA 14 and EA SPORTS UFC are in development at EA Canada. Madden NFL 25 and NBA LIVE 14 are developed in Orlando, Florida by EA Tiburon. The games have not yet been rated. 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.

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