Auckland – February 3, 2009 – Fifteen years; more than 40 countries; close to 100 million games sold. Need for Speed™ has helped to define automotive culture for millions of fans with its embrace of the car lifestyle and its cool rebellious attitude. Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) unveiled the details of what is in store for the franchise over the next 12 months, as the property expands to new platforms, new categories and new media.


Need for Speed is committed to providing unique and customized experiences for all types o f racing fans by establishing three independent series; simulation, action and arcade racing. Each series will be developed by a highly-specialized team dedicated to delivering the ultimate racing experiences to car enthusiasts around the world – whether they be interested in adrenaline action, arcade fun or authentic simulation.


“We recognize racing videogame fans are very passionate and unique -- they want customized gameplay experiences. Whether it’s more of a realistic driving game with accurate car physics or over-the-top cop chases , we are making different games for different audiences,” said Keith Munro, vice president of marketing, Need for Speed. “Each game provides a deep, engaging and rich racing experience. We’re giving players the option to choose the best racing title that suits their style of gameplay.”


Need for Speed SHIFT – Spring 2009 (New Zealand)

Shift into high gear! Designed to deliver a true driver’s experience that reflects contemporary motorsports, Need for Speed SHIFT is built by rac ers for racers. Need for Speed SHIFT delivers an authentic and immersive driving experience developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with executive producer Michael Mann at Black Box and senior vice president Patr ick Soderlund at EA Games Europe. Slightly Mad Studios includes developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed g ames GT Legends and GTR 2. Need for Speed SHIFT replicates the true feeling of racing high-end performance cars like never before. Players are thrust into the heart of the action with immersive and exciting features including a stunningly realistic first-person cockpit view camera and an all-new crash mechanic, providing an unrivaled sensation of the speed and feeling of racing a car on the extreme edge of control.


Soderlund is also part of a racing team that rece ntly competed in the 4th edition of the TOYO TIRES 24H Dubai 2009, th e first major race event of the year. His team ranked #5 in the high-profile race. Soderlund and the SHIFT development team are committed to bringing the on-the-track experience to players across the world.


Need for Spe ed SHIFT will be released on PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game a nd entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation® Por table) and PC in Spring 2009.


Need for Speed NITRO (Working Title) – Spring 2009 (New Zealand)

Developed by EA Montreal, Need for Speed NITRO for Wii™ and Nintendo DS?2; will have players of all skill levels hooked from the moment they get into the action, while arcade racing fans will be exhilarated by the deep and challenging gameplay. EA Montreal has already established a strong track re cord of developing for these platforms and will bring their unique creativity an d innovation to the Need for Speed franchise.


Gamers can build up their boost as they drift and drag behind their opponents and use it strategically to change the course o f the race, but watch out for the cops! Offering a fresh and unique visual style, the game features a variety of licensed cars which can be fully customized to let the game reflect the player’s taste and personality. This evolutionary take on arcade racing, bringing back the best features found i n Need for Speed games, comes exclusiv ely to the Nintendo platforms this Spring.


EA will have more news about the Need for Speed franchise in the months ahead.



For more information on the Need for Speed franchise, please visit: www.needforspeed.com