Manchester United Striker Wayne Rooney To Appear On Cover Of FIFA Soccer 12 In North America For First Time

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today revealed an iconic lineup of international stars that will help launch EA SPORTS^TM FIFA Soccer 12, winner of 20 "Best Sports Game of E3" awards, including the prestigious E3 Game Critics award.* Headlining the group of players is Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and Real Madrid's Kaká, who will be joined by stars Philippe Mexès in France, Gerard Piqué in Spain, Giampaolo Pazzini in Italy, Mats Hummels in Germany, Jack Wilshere in United Kingdom and many others all over the world to launch FIFA Soccer 12 on September 27 in North America and September 30 worldwide. The international stars will grace the cover of FIFA Soccer 12 packaging, be integrated into marketing and advertising campaigns, and utilized in social media activities around the world.

"This is an iconic group of players who all passionately play our game, and we are excited to have them speak to fans around the world about their own personal experiences playing the best sports game on the planet," said Matt Bilbey, Vice President and GM of Soccer, EA SPORTS. "With all the accolades FIFA Soccer 12 has received so far we are confident we have the most authentic and highest quality game we have ever created, and these superstars will play an integral role in sharing their excitement for its highly anticipated launch."

For the first time ever, Rooney will appear on the cover of FIFA Soccer 12 in North America. Rooney has won the England Player of the Year award twice, in 2008 and 2009, and played for the England national team in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup. Today is the first of a series of announcements as the complete FIFA Soccer 12 player lineup is unveiled leading to the game's launch. Rooney will be joined on the cover of FIFA Soccer 12 in North America by two additional players, and other stars will be revealed in other countries around the world.

FIFA Soccer 12 brings to the pitch the game-changing new Player Impact Engine, a physics engine built to deliver real-world physicality in every interaction on the pitch. Revolutionary gameplay innovations inspired by the real-world game make FIFA Soccer 12 deeper and more engaging. All-new Precision Dribbling creates a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for better control in tight spaces, more time to make decisions on attack, and more control over the pace of the game. Innovations in attack are balanced by a re-designed defending mechanism called Tactical Defending, which fundamentally changes the approach to defending by placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling. Plus, players have been infused with Pro Player Intelligence, the next generation of player intelligence and performance. FIFA Soccer 12 also introduces EA SPORTS Football Club-the heartbeat of FIFA Soccer 12. This live service is available at no additional cost and connects players to the real-world game with fresh, new content all the time, enabling them to support their favorite club and connect and compete with their friends, and millions of players around the world.

For the latest news on FIFA Soccer 12 join more than six million fans in the EA SPORTS FIFA community at http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/easportsfifa.

FIFA Soccer 12 will be localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. It will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PC, Wii^TM, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo 3DS^TM, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, iPhone®, iPad^TM, and iPod® touch. The game will also be available for digital download on PC at origin.com. The game has not yet been rated. Screenshots are available at http://info.ea.com.

EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA JAM basketball, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

*E3, 2011.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims^TM, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed^TM, Battlefield, and Mass Effect^TM. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.

EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Active, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. John Madden, NFL, NCAA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. "PlayStation" and the "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox 360 is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. Wii and Nintendo 3DS are trademarks of Nintendo. iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc. iPod and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Contacts

Electronic Arts
Steve Frost, 604-456-5067
Manager, Communications
sfrost@ea.com
Colin Macrae, 604-456-3685
Sr. Director, Communications
cmacrae@ea.com
David Tinson, 650-628-5189
VP, Communications
dtinson@ea.com

EA SPORTS UNVEILS GLOBAL STARS FOR FIFA SOCCER 12 - Manchester United Striker Wayne Rooney To Appear On Cover Of FIFA Soccer 12 In North America For First Time (Graphic: Business Wire)