EA Announces Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince Video Game

April 22, 2008

EA AND WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE VIDEO GAME

Fans will relive the thrills,
action and excitement of the movie this holiday season

EA’s Casual Entertainment Label and
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that the Harry Potter and
the Half-Blood Prince™ video game will be released later this year to coincide
with the Warner Bros. Pictures film based on J.K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter
book.

“We believe that the Harry Potter
and the Half-Blood Prince video game represents a milestone in the movie tie-in
genre,” said Harvey Elliott, Head of EA Bright Light studio in the UK where the
Harry Potter franchise has its home. “Building on the technological advancements
of previous games in the series and with a particular focus on the unique
control system of Nintendo’s WiiTM, the team here is working closely with the
filmmakers to create an immersive interactive experience that captures the
story, the action, the excitement and, above all, the fun of the film. ”

“Working with EA, we look forward to
offering fans a compelling Harry Potter video game, one which captures the
thrilling storyline and high visual quality of the movie,” said Scott Johnson,
Vice President, Business Development for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
“The adherence to the rich fiction is a trademark of this franchise and with
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince fans will experience the most authentic
and enjoyable game in the series to date.”

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood
Prince, Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds
and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that
dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon
preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together
they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort’s defenses and, to this end,
Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and
unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds
crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very
different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds
himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown
has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda
Vane’s chocolates! And then there’s Hermione, simmering with jealously but
determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains
aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air,
but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

In the game of Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a
fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to engage in exciting wizard
duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to
lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked
by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and
discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Under development by EA Bright Light
Studio, the team behind the worldwide success of the Harry Potter library of
games, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for release in time
for the movie launch this fall for the Wii™, PLAYSTATION®3, Xbox 360™,
PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), Nintendo DS™, Windows PC, Macintosh
and mobile devices.