EA Sports Revolutionizes FIFA Soccer 12 with New Player Impact Engine

Major Innovations Inspired By Real-World of Football Make This Year’s FIFA Deeper, More Engaging

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced that EA SPORTS™ has developed the Player Impact Engine, a new physics engine that will deliver revolutionary changes to the best^ sports videogame on the planet. Two years in development, the new Player Impact Engine inside FIFA Soccer 12 delivers real-world physicality in every interaction on the pitch. It is one of several major innovations for FIFA Soccer 12 that have been inspired by the real-world game and created by the FIFA development team at EA Canada.

“To create the best and most authentic FIFA game ever, we needed new technology to deliver on our vision. Fans will see, and more importantly feel, the significance of the Player Impact Engine immediately.”

“The transformation FIFA Soccer 12 has undergone is revolutionary not evolutionary,” said Kaz Makita, Executive Producer for the FIFA franchise, which has won 136 videogame awards the past three years. “To create the best and most authentic FIFA game ever, we needed new technology to deliver on our vision. Fans will see, and more importantly feel, the significance of the Player Impact Engine immediately.”

The game-changing new Player Impact Engine will drive FIFA Soccer 12 on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system. Fans will experience the way real-world players challenge each other for the ball, win possession, and test each other physically. The Impact Engine processes decisions continuously in real-time at every point of contact on a player’s body to create an infinite variety of natural and believable outcomes in every collision. Players now feel more resilient, push and pull during the fight for possession, and recover from light challenges more easily.

Revolutionary gameplay innovations inspired by the real-world sport make FIFA Soccer 12 deeper and more engaging. All-new Precision Dribbling delivers a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for attacking players, while Tactical Defending makes defending as skilful and meaningful as real-world soccer. Plus, players have been infused with Pro Player Intelligence, the next generation of player intelligence and performance, and the new Career Mode delivers real-world storylines that brings enhanced depth and realism to the experience.

All-new Precision Dribbling creates a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for better control in tight spaces, more time to make decisions in attack, and more control over the pace of the game. Innovations in attack are balanced by a re-designed defending mechanism. Defending is now as strategic as attacking with all-new Tactical Defending, which fundamentally changes the approach to defending by placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling

Players on the pitch have been infused with Pro Player Intelligence, a self-awareness and aptitude that enables them to make decisions based on their own skills as well as the strengths and attributes of their teammates. Players who possess exceptional vision, for example, will see opportunities for through balls that other players won’t. Real Madrid’s Kaká will be more likely—and quicker—to pick out a run from a teammate farther away than a player with poorer vision. Additionally, teams will vary their attack based on the strengths of their players on the pitch, and the weaknesses of opposing players, creating a more authentic experience and greater variety of matches.

FIFA Soccer 12 will also deliver an all-new Career Mode, driven by the storylines from the real-world sport. Elements like player morale, on-pitch form and league position will influence outcomes in the game. Users will face more decisions and factors than ever before, with their consequences being played out on the pitch.

Transformed to look and feel fresh and new from pre-match to final whistle, FIFA Soccer 12 delivers an authentic match day experience, faster and easier navigation with a brand new menu system, and more than 500 officially licensed clubs. To pre-order FIFA 12 visit http://www.easportsfootball.com.

For the latest news on FIFA 12 join more than five 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 available in stores world-wide this fall for the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360®, Wii™, PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo 3DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, iPhone®, iPad™, and iPod® touch. Additional feature details will be revealed in the months ahead. 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.

^ 136 videogame awards since 2008

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™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield, and Mass Effect™. 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 and 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.