Go Beyond the Cage with Global Fighting Experiences, MMA Superstars and Innovative Online Features

Electronic Arts Inc. , announced that EA SPORTS™ MMA is available in stores throughout New Zealand. EA SPORTS MMA, offering the most authentic, intense and broadest mixed martial arts experience to date, allows players to travel the world and learn a multitude of fighting techniques and skills. The game features a vast array of world-class fighters, and players can extend their gaming experience online through a first-of-its-kind feature – EA SPORTS Live Broadcast.

Fighters can further showcase their MMA skills to the world through EA SPORTS Live Broadcast in which players can create their own fighter and then produce a hype video to get noticed by an actual EA SPORTS promoter. Once selected by the EA SPORTS promoter, players will be able to have their fight broadcast online through EA SPORTS Live Broadcast, while a live commentator calls every move made during the fight. Moreover, each EA SPORTS Live Broadcast fight can be viewed on game consoles or online via the web.

“EA SPORTS MMA is the most immersive and authentic mixed martial arts experience available, bringing together great fighters, opportunities to train and fight internationally and features that allow players to prove their skills online to a wide audience,” said EA SPORTS MMA Executive Producer Dale Jackson. “EA SPORTS is excited to bring this highly anticipated title to mixed martial arts fans and help grow the popularity of the sport worldwide.”

EA SPORTS MMA provides the definitive mixed martial arts experience, featuring multiple disciplines, rule sets, locations and fighters from all over the world. Players can fight in a ring, hexagonal or circular cage, and the MMA environment comes to life with ring girls, corner men and referees. Ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. provides fighter introductions while Big John McCarthy officiates fights and MMA legend Frank Shamrock and commentator Mauro Ranallo call the action.

Through career mode, fighters will be able to train in locations around the world with legends of the sport such as Randy Couture, Pat Miletich, Rickson Gracie and Bas Rutten, visiting gyms in Japan, Brazil, Thailand and the U.S. While training internationally, players will teach their fighter new skills as they rise up the ranks to make it to one of the biggest stages in MMA – STRIKEFORCE.

Other key features within EA SPORTS MMA include:

Fighter Share – Players can put themselves into the world of MMA training and fighting and begin the quest to become a champion. They can upload photos of themselves and use Photo Game Face to create their own, personalized roster of fighters. Display and share these create-a-fighters via Fighter Share by uploading and browsing other created fighters. In addition, through Fighter Share players can download and try out any fighters created by the passionate EA SPORTS MMA community.

Customize Your Own Fight Card – Become a promoter and set up a night of fights with your friends. With the ability to host four fights per card with up to 10 people connected*, players can challenge each other to fights, talk trash and while friends provide commentary to the fight.

Total Strike Control – Through an intuitive control system for striking, elbow, knees and kicks, players can go on the offensive with Total Strike Control, providing the utmost flexibility for their fighters. EA SPORTS MMA also provides the flexibility for those who prefer fighting using face buttons with the Classic Control scheme.

EA SPORTS MMA will be available on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the iPhone® and iPod® touch.

For more information about EA SPORTS MMA, visit www.easportsmma.com or follow the game on Twitter at www.twitter.com/easportsmma and Facebook at www.facebook.com/easportsmma

In the heat of the battle

Iconic Japanese Developers Suda51 and Shinji Mikami Take Gamers on a Twisted Journey Through a Demented Underworld

Electronic Arts Inc. and legendary Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture revealed Shadows of the Damned, an all-new psychological action thriller game from executive director Suda51 (director of No More HeroesTM), creative producer Shinji Mikami (director of Resident Evil(R)) and music composer Akira Yamaoka (sound director of Silent HillTM).

Shadows of the Damned follows a demon hunter deep into a hyper-twisted re-imagining of hell where he must rescue the love of his life by defeating the armies of darkness with the power of the light. Shadows of the Damned is scheduled for release in the Australian and New Zealand winter of 2011 on the Xbox 360(R) videogame and entertainment system and PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system.

“We are excited to finally take the cover off our latest project and invite gamers from around the globe to experience this new, warped world we have created,” said Goichi Suda, CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture. “By partnering with EA, a publisher that truly shares our commitment to quality and innovation, we have been able to develop Shadows of the Damned according to our ambitious vision while creating an entertainment property we believe will appeal to a global audience.”

“With Shadows of the Damned, gamers will fight for love in the most difficult arena imaginable … hell,” said Shinji Mikami, Creative Producer of Shadows of the Damned. “Players will find themselves surrounded by demons set on destroying their heart and soul. Only the strong will survive.” In Shadows of the Damned, gamers will assume the role of Garcia, a hard-as-nails, leather-clad, motorcycle-riding professional demon hunter who finds his true love kidnapped by vengeance-seeking demons. As he explores the farthest reaches of the netherworld, Garcia battles through hell and back, with danger and turmoil around every corner.

Throughout Shadows of the Damned gamers will find themselves challenged by demented puzzles and thrust into gruesome battles with vile and deformed creatures that can only come from the darkest recesses of hell. The game features a grotesque, highly stylized art direction that transports players into a grisly world. The entire experience is enveloped with a pulse-pounding musical score by famed videogame music composer Akira Yamaoka, that takes the over-the-top action sequences and intense boss battles that both Suda51 and Mikami are renowned for creating to new heights.

“We are honored to be working with Suda-san and Mikami-san and all of the wonderfully creative minds at Grasshopper. This is one of the most daring and innovative projects in the EA Partners program,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager, EA Partners. “We look forward to launching this game next summer.” For more information on Shadows of the Damned, please visit http://www.ea.com/shadows-of-the-damned

or follow the development team on http://twitter.com/SotD

or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/shadowsofthedamned

Alice game console Sequel : 'The madness returns'

EA and Spicy Horse Games Send Gamers Down the Rabbit Hole in Alice: Madness Returns New Zealand.

Gaming visionary American McGee returns to Wonderland as Electronic Arts Inc. and Spicy Horse Games announce Alice: Madness Returns, the dark and deranged sequel to the year 2000 PC hit, American McGee’s Alice(TM).

Designed with the same dark style of the original, but now featuring entirely new visuals, story and game design, Alice: Madness Returns is a fun and addictive action adventure set to release on PC, the PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system.

The game follows Alice on a journey through a wildly corrupted and shattered Wonderland to uncover the truth behind her haunted past and tortured psyche. In this journey, players will romp through highly-detailed elaborate worlds, encounter a cast of off-beat characters and engage in epic battles with deadly weapons and sinister villains. “Alice is a classic fiction, infinitely rich with memorable characters, places and experiences.

Our approach to Alice: Madness Returns takes this colorful world and reinvents it with psychotic personalities and pervasive insanity,” said American McGee, Spicy Horse Games Co-Founder and Senior Creative Director. “We can’t wait to share our vision with Alice in Wonderland fans and gamers around the world.” Alice: Madness Returns takes place 10 years after the conclusion of the original game, with Alice struggling to recover from the emotional trauma of losing her entire family in a fatal fire.

After spending a decade institutionalized in an insane asylum, she is finally released to the care of a psychiatrist who just may be able to help her conquer the nightmarish hallucinations that still haunt her. Alice embarks on a mission to root out the true cause of her family’s mysterious death, jumping from a gloomy and stark London to a rich and provocative Wonderland. “In 2000, we launched a cult hit on the PC with American McGee’s Alice.

Ten years later, I’m pleased to announce American is back on board leading the top-rate talent at Spicy Horse Games to create this sequel,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners. “The Alice in Wonderland fiction continues to be a fan favorite all over the world. We can’t wait for them to experience the next chapter with Alice: Madness Returns.” Alice: Madness Returns will be available in 2011 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

For more information on Alice: Madness Returns, please visit http://www.ea.com/alice

EA’s homepage and online game site is: http://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, Alice: Madness Returns and American McGee’s Alice are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Spicy Horse Games Spicy Horse Games is a game development studio located in Shanghai, China. Founded by a collection of game industry vets, creative artists, and adventure seeking expats in late 2006, Spicy’s mission is to build eccentric game content for the PC and console market. Our passion for game making is fueled by an intense love for all things story, art, and fun. Spicy relies on a unique production model, strong culture, and interesting location to inspire and drive development of its game titles.

Creation Centre on FIFA 11 PC

EA SPORTS™ FIFA an award winning console game engine has announced that FIFA 11 PC has arrived.

Electronic Arts Inc. has announced the football engine that drives the award-winning EA SPORTS™ FIFA gameplay on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system has arrived for FIFA 11 PC.

Two years in development, the console game engine has been optimised for PC, delivering next generation console-quality gameplay, game modes and visuals to FIFA 11 PC.

“The EA SPORTS FIFA franchise is committed to investing and innovating for PC and this is a watershed moment,” said Executive Producer Kaz Makita. “We are delivering to FIFA 11 PC the high quality gameplay, innovative game modes and stunning graphics that have made FIFA the highest rated sports game on the PlayStation3 and Xbox 360 and winner of over 50 sports game of the year awards.”

The physics-based, data-driven technology behind the EA SPORTS football engine has been optimised for PC to deliver true freedom on the pitch with individuality of player control and movement, sophisticated ball touches and physical interaction between players.

FIFA 11 PC will feature the market-leading true 360° dribbling system that gives players precise control of the ball and next generation animation technology that delivers Skilled Dribbling, enabling gamers to face defenders and use highly responsive lateral dribbling to skip past them. Plus, Physical Play has been improved using collision sharing, creating a varied, less predictable and extended fight for possession between players.

FIFA 11 PC features and game modes will be revealed in the coming weeks and months. Visit http://fifa.easports.com/en/home.action for more information. Screenshots are available at http://info.ea.com.

FIFA 11 will be available in stores on 1 October in New Zealand for the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360®, Wii™, PC, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system and mobile. It is developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated.

Also For your information EA SPORTS has unveiled a new feature called the Creation Centre.

This Creation center will provide football fans with the tools to customise content in FIFA 11 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 in new ways. Craft your own football player and create the team of your dreams using a web-based application at www.easportsfootball.com. Create a player by choosing his appearance, accessories and attributes, and then create an original team with a distinctive crest and kits, complete with home stadium.

Fans will be able to share their created players and teams with friends and download into their console to play online, in Tournaments and in Kick-Off matches in FIFA 11. In addition, fans can choose player attributes and manage their created team’s formations and tactics right from the web. Creation Centre will launch when FIFA 11 is available in stores on 1 October in New Zealand.

“Having the ability to customise content in FIFA 11 to the degree where you are creating players and teams, choosing player attributes and managing team tactics effortlessly from the web opens up a world of possibilities of original content that fans will be able to create,” said David Rutter, Producer of FIFA 11 on Xbox 360 and PS3. “Creation Centre will perfectly compliment the official league and team licenses that are the hallmark of the FIFA franchise.”

Also new this year in FIFA 11 is Custom Audio, which enables fans to assign chants for every team and league in the game. Fans can set their home club’s chants to play during player introductions, halftime, and after goals – even hearing their name echo in the stands of Old Trafford or San Siro with created chants for their Virtual Pro. Plus, fans now have the ability to play music from their hard drive in game.

Visit http://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa to join the FIFA group on Facebook and visit http://fifa.easports.com/en/home.action for more information.

FIFA 11 will be available in stores for the PlayStation3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, PlayStation2, Nintendo DS, PSP and mobile on 1 October in New Zealand. It is developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated.

INK ad as it appears in Spiderman: Web of Shadows game

In-game advertising for Kiwi brands is now a reality with a number of ads being included in new game releases.

Kiwi brands are about to grace some of the world’s most travelled cyber-territory as in-game advertising hits New Zealand this month, following highly-successful roll-outs internationally.

Frucor is using in-game billboards and posters in Xbox 360 and PC games to launch a new energy drink called INK targeted at young men.

The ads feature in 24 Xbox 360 and PC games and run for six weeks during May and June. They’re also appearing on TV, in cinemas and online.

The in-game advertising system enables Xbox 360 and PC gamers to see New Zealand-centric advertising for the first time in their console games.

This visualisation technology comes from Microsoft-owned Massive Incorporated which feeds the ads into each player’s gaming session through their existing broadband connection.

Xbox New Zealand’s Tom Hunt says: “Instead of flashing past an ad for some product that’s of no interest, gamers can now feel more at home with a local product such as INK. This could be in the form of a billboard in a car racing game or a sponsored replay in a sports game.”

Frucor’s Iaan Buchanan says this new medium enables the brand to reach the elusive 18-24 yr old market.

“Teaming up ad content with the relevant audience and the right medium is critical. For Frucor and INK, the benefit is in selecting games that are relevant to the brand’s target market. For example, INK has chosen gaming titles based on the attitude ‘the absence of fear’ which enables us to place the product within highly relevant content that expresses that core brand idea.”

Massive Inc. Regional Sales Manager, Brian Neal adds that in-game advertising brings marketing to a whole new level. This technology also enables brand managers to ‘geo-target’ ads to regional or world-wide markets.

Massive Inc. campaigns have run in the US, the UK, Europe, Canada, Korea and Australia with automotive and entertainment brands prominent amongst advertisers.

Frucor’s media agency for the INK in-game advertising campaign is OMD New Zealand.

“We are delighted to be working with Massive Incorporated on executing a market first media innovation in New Zealand for Frucor,”says Chris Riley, Director of Digital – OMD New Zealand.

“Reaching the gaming audience has always proved challenging for advertisers – especially the core male 18-24 demo. The increasing popularity of gaming has eroded the time this key audience now spends with traditional channels. It’s a major breakthrough for OMD, to now be communicating with this important demographic whilst they are highly engaged and receptive to relevant brands and messaging.”

Both game development kits have opened up opportunities for Media Design School students. Not only will students now be able to design games which can be played on both consoles, they will also be increasing their chances of landing desirable game development jobs after they graduate.

Mr Brendan Burns (Media Design School’s Game Development Course Leader) is thrilled with the deal and says, “Game studios need developers who can write code or prepare art assets not only for PC, but for fixed hardware consoles like Nintendo’s GameCube and Sony’s PSP. In order to meet the needs of these game studios, we are enhancing our game development courses to provide our students with the expertise they require in order to be attractive to the large game development studios.”

“All of our industry partners (Game Studios Metia Interactive, Sidhe Interactive, and Straylight Studios) have demonstrated their absolute support for graduates with development kit experience,” states Burns.

Media Design School will be the first educational institution in both Australia and New Zealand to have access to both Sony and Nintendo development kits.

The Sony PSP Academic Development Program, courtesy of the Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), consists of SN Systems ProDG compilers, physical hardware development kits, and access to Sony developer forums, which allows students to interact with top Sony developers.

The Nintendo GameCube Academic Development Program, courtesy of Nintendo of America, will provide the school with physical hardware GameCube T-Dev kits, Freescale CodeWarrior Development Tools, and the Nintendo GameCube SDK.

Both the Nintendo and Sony kits provide Media Design School students with the ability to create games using the very same tools used by the games industry to make Nintendo GameCube and Sony PSP games.

“We are extremely grateful to Sony and Nintendo for making their technology available to our students. It will no doubt help to further develop New Zealand’s reputation as an emerging hub for game developers,” says Burns.

In addition to the Sony and Nintendo packages, the students have been given access to Industry-Standard Gamebryo Middleware from US cross-platform provider Emergent. Gamebyro is used by AAA studios worldwide and is the preferred game runtime engine for hundreds of games across multiple genres.

Media Design School is currently taking enrollments for the Diploma of Interactive Gaming for April 2008. For more information visit www.mediadesign.school.nz, or phone 09 303-0402.

Having access to these kits will allow Media Design School students’ games to be developed for and played on both consoles, increasing chances for development deals after they graduate.

Media Design School’s Game Development Course Leader, Mr Brendan Burns is thrilled with the secured deal and says, “Game studios need developers who can write code or prepare art assets not just for the PC, but for fixed hardware consoles like Nintendo’s GameCube and Sony’s PSP. As such we are further enhancing our console development modules to provide our students with the skills they need to get into the top studios.”

“Our industry partners – Game Studios Metia Interactive, Sidhe Interactive, and Straylight Studios – all stated their emphatic support for graduates with development kits experience,” says Burns.

“Furthermore, the majority of MDS Game Development graduates all ranked the inclusion of the now-defunct Criterion’s RenderWare as a deciding factor in their reasoning for studying at MDS. When RenderWare was bought by Electronic Arts, the support forum was pulled worldwide, and now we are delighted to have not one, but two industry heavyweights supporting the school again.” says Burns.

Media Design School will be the first educational body in New Zealand not to mention Australasia to have access to both Sony and Nintendo development kits.

The Sony PSP Academic Development Program, courtesy of the Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), includes physical hardware development kits, SN Systems ProDG compilers, and access to Sony developer forums, as well as feedback from top Sony developers.

The Nintendo GameCube Academic Development Program, courtesy of Nintendo of America, will provide the school with physical hardware GameCube T-Dev kits, Freescale CodeWarrior Development Tools, and the Nintendo GameCube SDK.

Both of these kits will allow Media Design School students to write games using the exact tools used by the games industry to make Nintendo GameCube and Sony PSP games.

“We greatly thank Sony and Nintendo for making their technology available to Media Design School students. It will no doubt help to further develop New Zealand’s reputation as an emerging hub for game developers,” says Burns.

The students have also been given access to Industry-Standard Gamebryo Middleware from US cross-platform provider Emergent. Gamebyro is used by AAA studios around the world and is the game runtime engine of choice for hundreds of games in multiple genres.

Media Design School’s latest Student Game Oddballs was showcased the the Armageddon Expo in Wellington to rave reviews. The team of 9 in the 2007 Interactive Gaming class developed the multi-player racing game in just 6 weeks. The game is currently ranked 4th on gamecareerguide.com. To download Oddballs visit http://www.gamecareerguide.com/downloads/

For information on all Media Design School courses, visit www.mediadesign.school.nz or phone 09 303-0402. An Open Day will be held on May 29th from 12pm till 7pm at Level 12, 242 Queen Street, Auckland. Come along to meet students, tutors, win some prizes and check out student work and games first hand!