Singapore
Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), the world's leading interactive entertainment software company, and IAHGames, a major provider of online entertainment software and services in Southeast Asia based in Singapore, announced today on their joint agreement to launch and operate EA SPORTS(TM)FIFA Online 2 in Asia Pacific. The game is targeted for release by the third quarter of 2008 in Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam; with seven additional countries in Asia Pacific to follow. The announcement was made today during a press conference for Pan Asian media at EA's new Asia headquarters in Singapore.
The deal is set to replicate the remarkable success of EA SPORTS FIFA Online in Korea and to solidify EA's position as a pan Asian key player in the gaming industry, as it continues its foray into the online games arena. EA has earlier announced online partnerships with other major operators in Asia such as Neowiz in South Korea, GigaMedia in Taiwan, and The9 in China.
EA SPORTS FIFA Online 2 is the latest online version of the blockbuster FIFA football game franchise. The original debut EA SPORTS FIFA ONLINE version had a record of over 5 million users and became the No.1 mid-session sports game in Korea. EA SPORTS FIFA ONLINE 2 will deliver an innovative and seamless game experience through authentic game play, complete customization, and a groundbreaking manager mode. The game will mirror the sophistication and finesse required of real world players on the pitch; online players will challenge their odds, perfect their skills, and bring glory to their favorite teams.
Working closely with EA development and publishing teams, game operator IAH will provide valuable support services such as marketing, community management, customer and technical support.
"We are proud to be in this long term regional partnership with sports games powerhouse Electronic Arts," said Roland Ong, CEO of IAHGames. "We are confident and committed in delivering FIFA Online to a market of more than 20 million online gamers in Southeast Asia. We take pride in thrilling real world soccer fans who can now take part in the amazing football action in FIFA Online 2."
"We are very thrilled to be partnering with IAH to bring FIFA Online to avid gamers in this region," said Jon Niermann, President of EA Asia. "Football is a hugely popular sport in Asia and the FIFA game franchise has already garnered an unmatched appeal for football fans around the world. We are confident that FIFA Online will continue its wave of success across Asia."
EA SPORTS FIFA Online is developed by EA Canada and Neowiz Games Corporation.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. EA markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA(TM), EA SPORTS BIG(TM) and POGO(TM). In the fiscal year of 2007, EA posted a total revenue of USD 3.09 billion and had 24 titles that sold more than one million copies each. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. For more information about EA's products and full text of press releases, visit http://info.ea.com.
About Infocomm Asia Holdings
Founded in Singapore in November 2004, Infocomm Asia Holdings Pte Ltd (IAH) is a leading operator and distributor of online games in South East Asia. IAH offers game publishers and developers a single point of access to bring the best Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) from all over the world to gamers in the region. IAH is funded by prestigious institutional investors, including Infocomm Investment Pte Ltd (IIPL), an investment arm of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), GigaMedia and SoftBank's Bodhi Investments. IAH has also acquired exclusive region-wide license to the top MMORPG Hellgate: London, developed by the team responsible for the best-selling Diablo(R) series.
For more information please visit www.iahgames.com.
About Neowiz Games
Neowiz Games Co. Ltd, is based in Seoul, South Korea and is the nation's leading online game company. Neowiz Games is expected to post revenues of USD 160 million for the fiscal year of 2007. The company develops and publishes online games; to date, it has over 50 online game titles in service, including the most popular online game in Korea, EA SPORTS FIFA Online. Neowiz markets its production its online game portal, www.pmang.com.
For more information about the company, visit www.neowiz.com.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Official FIFA licensed product. Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Source: Business Wire (Business Wire India)