EA Ships Latest In NCAA Football Series, NCAA Foot

Jul 25, 2000 REDWOOD CITY, CA INTERNET WIRE

The road to this year's NCAA(R) Football National Championship leads to the FedEx(R) Orange Bowl in Miami, and NCAA(R) Football 2001 from EA(TM) is the only way gamers can bring home the championship hardware. The top-selling college football game returns to defend its crown with a number of new features and all the pageantry and excitement that makes college football and EA SPORTS(TM)' NCAA Football franchise great.

New to NCAA Football this year is Advanced Player Control (APC). This feature allows players to perform the same All-American moves as the actual collegiate stars for each position on the field. Players will now be able to control wide receiver routes and call for the ball, and once the ball is caught, lengthen the receiver's stride to pull away from the hungry defensive players. Also, oft-forgotten offensive linemen can now play a huge role in the offensive attack, as players can select lineman to provide pass protection while their quarterback is in the pocket, or deliver crushing pancake blocks to open up holes for running backs.

NCAA Football 2001 allows players the ability to track their team's national ranking during the season with the Bowl Championship Series ranking system. Using the BCS poll, the same system the NCAA uses to determine its National Champion, there will be no debate at the end of the season what schools go to the Orange Bowl. It'll be No. 1 versus No. 2. In addition to the Orange Bowl, NCAA Football 2001 is the only college football game to feature the Nokia Sugar Bowl and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. With more than 20 bowl games and the exclusive rights to the Orange Bowl, NCAA Football 2001 will be the only game able to truly crown a National Champion.

"NCAA Football 2001 is the deepest college football game available," said producer Jeremy Strauser. "We give the gamers every possible option and way to play - from a quick game to building a dynasty with full recruiting, all the while capturing the pageantry and atmosphere of the college game with raucous crowds and traditional pep bands. We try to bring gamers onto the field."

Another feature upgraded from NCAA Football 2000 is Dynasty Mode(TM). NCAA Football 2001 features a deeper than ever Dynasty Mode that allows players to expand their recruiting pool to include junior college transfers, in addition to high school players. Also enhanced is the Create-a-School, which includes Greek alphabetic lettering, and players can create their own uniform including jerseys, pants and helmets. Also new this year are a Custom League Mode and a Player Name Editor.

With NCAA Football 2001 players can select from any of 142 Division 1-A and 1-AA teams or from the EA SPORTS All-Time Top 25 Teams as voted on by EA consumers. Helping to bring the excitement of college football to life is the Momentum Meter(TM), more college mascots, a new hang time clock, and new and improved dynamic crowd cheers and chants. Bowl Game Playoff mode, where players can participate in a single elimination, do-or-die tournament to determine the National Champion, is another new addition to NCAA Football 2001.

NCAA Football 2001 is rated "E" (Everyone) and is only available for The PlayStation(R). NCAA Football 2001 is analog controller compatible and supports up to eight players. Consumers may purchase the game directly at the EA Store SM (www.eastore.ea.com) or by calling EA Direct Sales at 1.800.245.4525. The game has a suggested retail price of $39.95.

Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts (EA) posted revenues of more than $1.4 billion for fiscal 2000. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA GAMES(TM) and EA.COM(SM). More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.ea.com.

Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS and EA GAMES are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. EA.COM is a service mark of EA.com Inc. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. NCAA is a registered trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. FedEx is a registered trademark of Federal Express. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.