EA SPORTS, ESPN Change the Game in TV Studio Analysis With EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook

Collaborative Technology Project Merges Video Game Graphics Into
ESPN Studio Programs

Debuts on ESPN's Sunday Countdown on September 7
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. & BRISTOL, Conn.--(Business Wire)--
EA SPORTS(TM) and ESPN are advancing media convergence and
delivering a new enhancement to in-studio sports analysis with the
debut of EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook, on ESPN's award-winning NFL
programs. The new television technology, developed jointly by EA
SPORTS and ESPN, delivers an "augmented reality" that allows ESPN's
football analysts to interact with the virtual players from EA SPORTS
video games and provide insight, education and analysis to fans about
key football plays and techniques. EA SPORTS is a Label of Electronic
Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS).

The two companies announced the launch of EA SPORTS Virtual
Playbook today, and it will be integrated into ESPN's Sunday NFL
Countdown, Monday Night Countdown and NFL Live shows. It will make its
debut on the September 7th Sunday NFL Countdown and will be integrated
into Monday NFL Countdown and NFL Live throughout the 2008 season. It
may also be used at times in other ESPN television programs including
SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and First Take.

"EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook is born out of our deep football
heritage at EA SPORTS and our drive to expand the impact of our
innovative sports technologies beyond gaming," said Peter Moore,
president of EA SPORTS. "Telecast on ESPN, EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook
marks the future of sports production by allowing television analysts
to highlight, critique and dissect on-field action more intimately
than ever before. EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook brings an entirely new
level of excitement and realism to football analysis to ESPN viewers
this NFL season."

John Skipper, executive vice president, content, ESPN, said,
"ESPN's technology, production and content teams have a long heritage
of developing and implementing game-changing enhancements that have
advanced the way fans engage with sports on television. With EA SPORTS
Virtual Playbook we've been able to integrate EA's game technologies
and assets into our studio programs like never before. It will again
move the industry forward, while further connecting two media worlds
important to fans."

Developed jointly by EA SPORTS Technology Licensing Group and
ESPN's Emerging Technology group, EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook merges
the depth and realism of EA SPORTS industry-leading graphics with the
award-winning production, personalities and analysis of ESPN's
programming. As fans tune into ESPN's NFL studio programming they'll
find ESPN's commentators providing pre-game analysis of week one
match-ups as if the teams' lineups were playing on the set -
demonstrating defensive schemes, receiver sets or other scenarios with
realistic players generated by EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook.

How EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook Works

EA SPORTS Virtual Playbook is created using feeds from in-studio
real-world cameras as well as an in-game camera that captures EA
SPORTS in-game graphics depicting real game scenarios. The real-world
studio and game images of virtual characters are combined to create
the effect of "augmented reality" -- virtual players appearing in the
studio alongside real life hosts and analysts. Both real and virtual
people are able to move realistically around the studio set to
demonstrate plays and scenarios. The system accommodates, and in fact
is controlled by, the multiple real-world cameras that are typical in
today's sports analysis television programs.

For the 2008 NFL season, commentators on ESPN's Sunday Countdown,
Monday Night Countdown, NFL Live and other programs will use the EA
SPORTS Virtual Playbook to analyze game matchups, demonstrate
offensive and defensive schemes, and even highlight mismatches as if
the players were alongside them in the studio.

In 2005, ESPN and Electronic Arts announced a 15-year integrated
content and marketing agreement for ESPN media and personalities and
EA SPORTS games that includes ESPN content integrated into multiple EA
SPORTS titles and EA SPORTS content appearing across ESPN media
platforms.

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. Electronic
Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM) ,
EA(TM), EA SPORTS Freestyle(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2008, EA
posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold
more than one million copies. 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 SPORTS Freestyle, and POGO are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other
countries.

About ESPN

ESPN, Inc. is the world's leading multinational, multimedia sports
entertainment company featuring a portfolio of over 50 multimedia
sports assets. The company is comprised of six domestic television
networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNU),
four High Definition simulcast services (ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, ESPNEWSHD
and ESPNUHD), ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (34
networks, syndication, radio, web sites), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN
The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed
restaurants), and other growing new businesses including ESPN360.com
(Broadband), ESPN Mobile Properties, ESPN on Demand and ESPN
Interactive.

Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc.,
which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst
Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.

EA SPORTS
David Tinson, 604-456-5167
dtinson@ea.com
or
ESPN
Paul Melvin, 860-766-9581
paul.melvin@espn.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008