FIFA SOCCER 2002: MAJOR LEAGUE
SOCCER ON STORE SHELVES
EA SPORTS FIFA franchise unveils
new gameplay, 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification mode and new passing system to
consumers
REDWOOD CITY, Calif– November 6,
2001– The road to the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ has never felt so good with FIFA
Soccer 2002: Major League Soccer by EA (NASDAQ: ERTS). The latest iteration of
the world-renowned FIFA series is on store shelves for the PlayStation®2
computer entertainment system, the PC and the PlayStation®, and is expected to
ship for the Nintendo GameCube™ later this month.
The legendary franchise is looking
to continue its dominance as the number one selling interactive soccer game
worldwide.
“We’re dedicated to developing the
world’s best interactive soccer game available,” said Executive Producer Marc
Aubanel. “With a new game engine, re-invented gameplay, new single-player
features, and the chance to qualify for 2002 FIFA World Cup, we’re confident
that soccer fans will find FIFA Soccer 200: MLS to be just that.”
The EA SPORTS FIFA franchise, known
for its top-of-the-line graphics, cutting edge technology, and
user-customization added even more options to FIFA Soccer 2002.The highly
innovative new passing system incorporates an open-ended and flexible passing
model so that gamers can now pass the ball into open space, utilize
through-balls and one-twos. Additionally, 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification mode
allows players to take their own journey to Korea / Japan 2002 from the player’s
vantage point, offering unparalleled, intense competition with stunning graphics
and player models.
With more than 50 National teams and
over 15 different leagues including Major League Soccer, new licenses such as
the Belgian and Swiss Leagues, Brazilian, Israeli and Dutch Clubs (Ajax, PSV and
Feyenoord) and 14 Rest of World Clubs, FIFA Soccer 2002 offers the broadest
selection of teams and leagues than any other interactive soccer game for the
ultimate global line-up. EA owns exclusive rights to France’s LNF, in addition
to Swedish, Norwegian, and Korean leagues, the elite FA Premier League in the
UK, and Bundesliga in Germany.
The FIFA series continues its
tradition hip soundtracks, incorporating music from top artists to enhance the
entertainment value of the game. This year’s release incorporates music by
Gorillaz, the cartoon band formed by Blur’s Damon Albarn, that is currently up
for six MTV Europe awards including Best Group, and has been in the top 50 of
Billboard’s Top 200 for 39 weeks. Ministry of Sound, the world’s largest
producer of dance music including house, garage, trance, chillout and commercial
is also providing ten tracks for FIFA Soccer 2002.
Arsenal striker and global soccer
star Thierry Henry is featured on packaging and in marketing materials for both
North America and UK. Intelligent commentary provided by legendary announcer
John Motson and soccer legend Andy Gray.
Developed by EA Canada, FIFA Soccer
2002 carries an ESRB rating of “E” for Everyone and a MSRP of US$39.99 for
PC-CD, US$49.99 for the PlayStation, and US$59.99 for the PlayStation 2.
Consumers may purchase the game directly by going online at (
http://www.eastore.ea.com ) or by
calling toll free at 877-EA GAMES (877-324-2637). Screenshots are available on
an informational press site at
http://www.info.ea.com.
EA SPORTS™ is one of four Electronic
Arts (EA) brands. EA SPORTS ( www.easports.com
) is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world, publishing
top-selling EA SPORTS franchises including FIFA, John Madden Football, NHL®,
Knockout Kings, NBA LIVE, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®, Triple Play Baseball and
NASCAR®. EA publishes EA SPORTS interactive entertainment software for personal
computers and advanced entertainment systems to date such as the PlayStation®2
computer entertainment system, the PlayStation® console, Xbox video game system
from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube™ and Game Boy®Advance.
Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS),
headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive
entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues
of more than $1.3 billion for fiscal 2001. The company develops, publishes and
distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video
game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA
SPORTS, EA GAMESTM, EA SPORTS BIG™ and EA.COMSM. More information about EA’s
products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at
http://www.info.ea.com.
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Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, EA
SPORTS BIG, EA GAMES, John Madden Football, Triple Play Baseball and Knockout
Kings are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the
U.S. and/or other countries. EA.COM is a service mark of EA.com Inc. PlayStation
is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox and Microsoft
are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Nintendo. FIFA Soccer 2002 is an official FIFA
licensed product. NHL, NBA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR and NASCAR are trademarks of
their respective owners and used with permission. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
