July 16, 2007
EA and Jostens Introduce “Ring of a Champion”
to Madden NFL 08
Gamers Can Customize and Purchase Rings to
Showcase Their Skills
Electronic Arts Inc and Jostens. Inc. today
announced that the highly anticipated Madden NFL 08 for next generation consoles
will give players the opportunity to extend the Madden NFL 08 experience to the
real world by giving them the ability to purchase their own custom-designed
“Ring of a Champion”. Based on the player’s Madden Gamer Level, the Ring of a
Champion showcases the progress of a Madden NFL 08 gamer, and each ring can be
customized to recognize the player advancements through the game. These rings
are a direct representation of a player’s achievements and game skills. Madden
NFL 08 will be available for purchase beginning August 14.
“We wanted our gamers to have something tangible
to recognize their achievements within Madden NFL 08 and we kept coming back to
Super Bowl rings,” said Madden NFL 08 Lead Producer David Ortiz. “We wanted to
remain authentic to the real Super Bowl ring therefore we forged a great
partnership with Jostens to allow our gamers to proudly display their Madden NFL
08 skills.”
The Ring of a Champion series will serve as a
visual tracking system for a player’s success within the game. As Madden NFL 08
gamers accomplish various achievements, they will progress through five
different levels. Once a player has reached level three, the ring can be
purchased through Jostens’ website utilizing the code provided within game. In
addition to the 32 NFL team logos players can incorporate into their ring, the
tops and sides of the rings can also be customized. If a player is able to
execute an extraordinary achievement they can obtain the Epic ring status, which
allows for enhanced design and uniqueness.
“We know that Madden NFL players are passionate
about their game and take pride in their skills,” said Mike Bailey, president
and CEO, Jostens. Inc. “We’ve had fun designing the rings with EA and hope they
add a new dimension of reward to the game.”
Minneapolis- based Jostens, creators of 27 out of
the 41 Super Bowl Championship rings, and EA have worked together to create the
collection of Madden NFL 08 rings, incorporating a unique ring design feature
embedded in the game. Jostens will offer three unique ring designs that are
available in non-precious metals as well as 10K white and yellow gold. Gamers
can also choose from a variety of colors to add to further customize. Rings will
range in price from $149 for a non precious ring to $495 for a 10K Gold ring.
Each ring incorporate simulated stones chosen by the gamer as well as cubic
zirconium stones in the design and gamers will also be given the option to add
genuine diamonds if they prefer the ultimate in their Ring of a Champion.
Coming into its 18th year and with more than 60
million copies sold and having generated over $2 billion in retail sales, Madden
NFL football continues to stand out as one of the most popular videogame
franchises of all time. Developed in Orlando, FL by EA Tiburon, Madden NFL 08
will be available in August on the Xbox 360™ and Xbox® videogame and
entertainment systems, PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment
systems, Nintendo GameCube™, Nintendo DS™, Wii™, PC, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
handheld entertainment system. For more information check out
www.madden08.com.
