NHL 13 Delivers Major Innovations That Will Change the Way You Play the Game

True Performance Skating and Hockey I.Q. Create Innovative New Gameplay Experience

GM Connected and NHL Moments Live Provide All-New Experiences that Connect Hockey Fans to Their Friends and the Real-World of the NHL

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) announced today the key features for EA SPORTS^TM NHL^®13, promising the biggest change to the franchise since the introduction of the Skill Stick in NHL^® 07. Headlined by all-new True Performance Skating, and supported by an innovative new A.I. system dubbed EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q., NHL 13 will deliver a revamped gameplay experience that accurately captures the speed, creativity and strategy of NHL hockey. In addition, NHL 13 will also deliver new experiences that connect hockey fans to their friends and the real world of hockey with the all-new GM Connected and NHL Moments Live modes. NHL 13 will be available on September 11, 2012 in North America and September 14, 2012 in Europe.

"The NHL team has been a leader when it comes to innovation in the sports videogame category on this console generation by redefining player control with the introduction of the Skill Stick, creating connected experiences such as the EA SPORTS Hockey League and introducing real world physics to the team sports category," says Dean Richards, General Manager, NHL, EA SPORTS. "With our feature set in NHL 13, hockey fans and sports gamers have a lot to be excited about as we are again going to deliver major innovations that will change the way you play the game."

NHL 13 delivers an innovative new gameplay experience, accurately capturing the speed, creativity and strategy of today's NHL through:

• True Performance Skating — A game-changing innovation for the franchise that adds physics-driven skating and over 1000 new animations. True Performance Skating authentically replicates the explosiveness, momentum and top end speed displayed by today's NHL players. True Performance Skating combined with the Skill Stick, finally gives gamers access to the entire toolset of an NHL player, delivering unprecedented control and unlocking a level of creativity never before possible in a hockey videogame.
• EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q. — An innovative new A.I. system that governs the behaviors of players, goalies and team systems. In previous NHL games, players were only aware of skaters in their immediate proximity and goalies could only react to the player in control of the puck. With EA SPORTS Hockey I.Q., all players are now fully aware of every other player on the ice, resulting in quicker, smarter and more true-to-life decision-making. EA SPORTS Hockey IQ also delivers the deepest and most customizable set of real-world hockey systems and strategies ever for the franchise.

NHL 13 will deliver new experiences that connect hockey fans to their friends and to NHL hockey with:

• GM Connected — The ultimate fantasy league with friends. GM Connected takes the franchise's most popular offline mode, Be a GM, and allows you to play with and against your friends in your own 30-team NHL. Whether you are a hardcore sports gamer or a hockey fan that moonlights as an armchair general manager, the mode offers unrivaled accessibility and depth by allowing players to manage, play or coach on the road to building your team's legacy. GM's can also take their experience with them with a mobile companion app, ensuring that they never miss a single moment.*
• NHL Moments Live — Rewrite or relive history as you replay some of the most thrilling moments from today's NHL. NHL 13 evolves the concept introduced by other sports games, introducing each scenario with real-world NHL footage to bring players closer to the intensity of the moment. Moments from the 2011-12 NHL season will ship on disc and new moments from the 2012-13 NHL season will be added as and when available throughout the season.

Fans of the franchise can expect several other improvements and innovations in NHL 13, such as:

• Team-First Presentation, which customizes your NHL 13 experience based on your favorite NHL team
• The addition of Customizable EA SPORTS Hockey IQ allowing players to create and record their own player and team strategies to a level never before seen in the franchise.
• Improvements to core offline and online modes, including Hockey Ultimate Team, Be a Pro, EA SPORTS Hockey League, a refined on-ice presentation, and more.

NHL 13 Stanley Cup^® Collector's Edition Available for Pre-Order

Celebrate over 20 years of EA SPORTS NHL hockey with the first ever collector's edition on this console generation. With Stanley Cup-inspired digital offerings, the NHL 13 Stanley Cup Collector's Edition includes:

• Exclusive collectible Stanley Cup^® tin featuring an embossed Stanley Cup image
• Two Stanley Cup^® Theme Hockey Ultimate Team packs featuring randomized player items from the Western and Eastern Conference Champions
• Gold Jumbo Hockey Ultimate Team Pack (Regular) featuring 24 randomized items, including an exclusive Wayne Gretzky Hockey Ultimate Team Legend and six other rare items
• A CCM Boost Pack featuring the all-new CCM RBZ stick (For use in Be a Pro and EA SPORTS™ Hockey League)
• A 10% discount on a one-time purchase at shop.NHL.com
• A complete copy of NHL 13

MSRP: $79.99

Visit the EA SPORTS NHL 13 website for more details and other pre-order offers.

*App not available in France, Gibraltar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Libya, Morocco, Serbia and Montenegro, and Syria

Assets:

To download assets, please visit the EA press site at http://info.ea.com.

NHL 13 is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver and has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI; visit www.esrb.org and www.pegi.info for more information. Become a fan of EA SPORTS NHL on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/easportsnhl and follow us on Twitter via http://www.twitter.com/easportsnhl.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game communities, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL^® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball, NCAA^® Football, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR^® golf, SSX^TM, and Fight Night boxing. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com.

EA SPORTS, SSX, 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, NBA, NHL NCAA, Tiger Woods, PGA TOUR and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

NHL® 13 is an Officially Licensed Product of the NHL and the NHLPA. NHLPA, National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHLPA logo are trademarks of the NHLPA. © NHLPA. NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League.

NHL, the NHL Shield and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks and NHL Awards name and logo are trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © NHL 2012. All Rights Reserved.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, tablets and social networks. EA has more than 220 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands 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.

The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield is a trademark of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.

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Electronic Arts Inc.
Justin Del Giudice, 604-456-4199
Communications Specialist
JDelGiudice@ea.com
Duke Indrasigamany, 604-456-3150
Communications Manager
dukei@ea.com

Source: Electronic Arts Inc.

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