REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced the record-breaking launch of EA SPORTS™ FIFA 11. Based on internal estimates, FIFA 11 has shattered sales records for the title with 2.6 million copies sold through at retail in Europe and North America through Saturday, October 2. FIFA 11 is the fastest selling sports game ever and the title is off to its best start ever in markets around the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and North America.

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team (Photo: Business Wire)

EA SPORTS also announced that FIFA 11 Ultimate Team, one of the most played, dynamic and connected modes within the FIFA franchise, will now be available for free* on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system this November.

“We’re thrilled at how fans embraced FIFA 11 last weekend, and we are excited to be able to offer one of our most popular game modes – FIFA 11 Ultimate Team – for free this November,” said Peter Moore, President of EA SPORTS. “This is a landmark achievement for EA SPORTS – we’ve shattered sales records at retail, critics are praising FIFA 11 as being one of the most authentic and innovative titles ever, and fans are connecting and competing with other gamers around the world and have logged a record number of online connected game sessions.”

Among the notable accomplishments for FIFA 11 since its launch on Sept. 28 in North America and Oct. 1 in Europe:

• FIFA 11 sell-through is estimated to be up 29 percent over last year’s record-breaking launch. FIFA 11 is estimated to have grossed more than $150M at retail.
• October 1-2 – the first two days after FIFA 11 launched in Europe – was the busiest two-day period for online gaming in EA SPORTS history. Fans registered more than 18.6 million online connected EA SPORTS game sessions overall, including more than 11.3 million of FIFA 11, in that two-day period.
• FIFA 11 has earned 58 review scores of 90 or better around the world, including perfect marks from Gameblog.fr, Eurogamer Italy, PlayStation Life Style and Match magazine and Official PlayStation Magazine in the UK. GamesMaster Magazine (UK) proclaimed that FIFA 11 is “the best football game ever,” while OPM UK raves FIFA 11 is “as close to footballing perfection as we’ve ever seen in a videogame.”

FIFA 11 reinvents player authenticity–on and off the ball–-with all-new Personality+. Individual abilities are now reflected in-game, allowing clear differentiation for every player on the pitch. Players will experience true freedom in man-to-man interactions with 360° Fight for Possession that transforms physical play from lateral jostling to full 360° collisions and new Pro Passing, where pass accuracy is determined by a gamer’s ability on the control pad, and player skill, situation and urgency on the pitch. Plus, gamers will be able to play as the goalkeeper and experience the thrill of the one on one battle, diving to make a save from a free kick, the pressure of the corner and keeping a clean sheet.

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team challenges gamers to build a squad of the world's best football stars by earning, buying, selling and even trading players with other Ultimate Team gamers around the world. They can strategically craft squads to get the best chemistry and team rating, and then take them onto the pitch to compete in online and single-player tournaments which are updated weekly.

FIFA 11 Ultimate Team delivers a number of major changes as requested by gamers. Gamers can now pit their ultimate team directly against their friends' best squads in Play A Friend online matches—the No. 1 requested new feature. Plus, when away from their consoles gamers can engage in the full auction and trading system on the web through an enhanced Ultimate Team web app which links directly to the FIFA 11 Ultimate Team console experience.

Localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries, FIFA 11 is available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, Wii™, PC, Nintendo DS™, PlayStation®2, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), iPhone® and iPod® touch.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa to join the EA SPORTS FIFA Facebook group or visit http://www.ea.com/soccer/ for more information about the game. Screenshots are available at http://info.ea.com. The game is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB and 3+ by PEGI in Europe.

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 ELITE 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.

*Restrictions and conditions apply. Please see back of pack for details.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, Pogo and EA SPORTS Active are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Official FIFA licensed product © The FIFA name and OLP Logo are copyright or trademark protected by FIFA. All rights reserved. Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc.. Player names and likenesses used under license from FIFA, International Federation of Professional Footballers "(FIFPro)" and national teams. John Madden, NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Microsoft, Xbox, and Xbox 360 are registered trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. “PlayStation” and PSP are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Wii and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. iPod and the 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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EA SPORTS
David Tinson, 650-628-5189
dtinson@ea.com
or
EA Corporate Communications
Tiffany Steckler, +41 2231 61322
tsteckler@ea.com