FIFA, ELECTRONIC ARTS AND PLAYSTATION ANNOUNCE 2010 SEASON OF FIFA INTERACTIVE WORLD CUP

Geneva, Switzerland and London, UK, 6 October 2009 – FIFA, the world’s governing body of soccer, Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) today announced the new season of the FIFA Interactive World Cup (FIWC), the world’s only official FIFA global soccer gaming competition. The FIWC is a season-long tournament mirroring the real world of soccer in which competitors from all around the world participate playing EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 10 on PlayStation®3 (PS3™). 

This year marks the sixth FIWC season, which will kick off today inside EA SPORTS FIFA Soccer 10.   Players will be able to compete for their spot in the Grand Final at one of 10 FIWC Live Qualifier Events across the globe, taking place in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Africa and the UK, or by playing online.  For the first time in the tournament’s history, the online competition of the FIWC via PlayStation®Network will be split into two seasons.  Season one starts with the launch of FIFA Soccer 10 on October 2 in Europe and concludes on December 18, 2009.  The ten best players of season one from across the FIFA confederations will go through to the Grand Final, which will take place at Port Olympic in Barcelona on May 1, 2010*.  Players who didn’t make it during season one have another shot at their spot in the Grand Final in season two, which kicks off on January 4, 2010 and concludes on March 31, 2010.  Registration for participating in the online leg of the FIWC 10 tournament will take place directly inside the retail version of FIFA Soccer 10 on PS3 today across Europe and Asia and from October 20 in North America. 

Alongside the 2009 FIWC champion, Bruce Grannec from France, the 31 finalists will compete to be crowned FIFA Interactive World Champion of the Year, rewarded with an invitation to the FIFA World Player Gala along with a USD 20,000 cash prize.  The runner up will receive USD 5,000, while the player coming third will be awarded USD 1,000.

EA SPORTS™ FIFA Soccer 10 for the PlayStation®3 is powered with the first-ever true 360° dribbling system that gives players finer control of the ball. The all-new Virtual Pro will let players live out their fantasy of playing as a professional player.  By using the Game Face function, they can put themselves into the game and embark on a career with more than 200 accomplishments to master across all games modes.  Based on consumer feedback from more than 400 million online games played, FIFA Soccer 10 refines an already potent game engine, combined with authentic club and league licenses, to continue to set the benchmark as the most complete simulation of soccer.

Details about the live qualifier events will be made available over the coming weeks at www.FIFA.com/FIWC, so check in regularly to keep your fingers on the pulse of the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2010. 

* For full FIWC 2010 tournament terms & conditions, please see www.fifa.com/fiwc