Tuesday, November 21, 2006

EA’s SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE VIDEOGAME Hits Stores (the-laser.com)

- the-laser.com -

In the Ultimate Open-World Super Hero Adventure You Have to Master Your Powers to Save Metropolis

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) ships SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE VIDEOGAME, licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, today to retail stores nationwide. The game, which features storylines from both the Warner Bros. Pictures’ film Superman Returns and more than 60 years of DC Comics’ content, was developed by EA’s award-winning Tiburon Studio in Orlando, Fla., which develops Madden NFL football, the most popular sports franchise in videogame history. SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE VIDEOGAME is the ultimate open-world super hero experience and is available on the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system, as well as PlayStation® 2, Xbox®, Nintendo DS™ and Game Boy® Advance.

“We are really proud to ship SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE VIDEOGAME today, as this is a huge milestone for our studio. We are thrilled to deliver the largest open-world game to date and to have set a new standard in super hero videogames at EA Tiburon,” said Steven Chiang, vice president and general manager of EA Tiburon. “Now players get the ability to fly, fight and make decisions as Superman, the most powerful super hero, and save Metropolis.”

See firsthand what it is like to be Superman in the first multi-dimensional open-world game, where you can go anywhere in the 80 square miles of Metropolis, from the street up into the clouds. Revolutionary new flight mechanics gives the player full command of all aerial maneuvers. As Superman, the player must protect Metropolis from the most well-known villains in the DC Comics universe and conquer more than 100 missions that only Superman can overcome including saving Metropolis and its citizens from destruction, battling enemies and saving the planet from natural disasters. The game will feature all the classic superpowers, but learning to master all of them during flight and combat will take work -- even for Superman.

The game features the voice and likeness of Brandon Routh (Superman/Clark Kent) as well as the voices of Kevin Spacey (Lex Luthor), Kate Bosworth (Lois Lane), Parker Posey (Kitty Kowalski) and Sam Huntington (Jimmy Olsen), all reprising their roles from the Warner Bros. Pictures’ film directed by Bryan Singer.

SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE VIDEOGAME is rated "T" (Teen) by the ESRB and has an MSRP of $59.99 on the Xbox 360, $39.99 for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and Xbox and $29.99 for Nintendo DS. The version shipping for the Game Boy Advance has an MSRP of $29.99 and is titled, SUPERMAN RETURNS: FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE™. The game is rated “E” (Everyone) by the ESRB for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance. SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE VIDEOGAME began shipping in Europe on November 17. The game’s official website is www.besuperman.com.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Spotlights PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) System With New Marketing Efforts

New Advertising Campaign, PSP Spot Download Station and More Continue the Momentum of the PSP System as the Holiday Shopping Season Kicks Off

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America today announced several new marketing initiatives designed to continue the momentum of its popular PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system through the holiday shopping season. A new national television advertising campaign, titled "Find Me," has launched, focusing on the PSP system's multi-functional features shown in a real-world narrative. SCEA is also making downloadable gaming and other media content available with new PSP Spot Download Stations at select retailers nationwide. Additional efforts at retail, in home, on the Internet, and on the streets are generating strong awareness for the system and everything it offers to consumers who want their gaming and entertainment on-the-go. "The PSP system has already been established as a popular gaming handheld, but it was designed to do so much more -- from playing music and videos to sharing photos and accessing the Internet," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing, SCEA. "These marketing initiatives deliver the broader PSP brand message and offer PSP owners the entertainment experience they're thirsting for from a content perspective. We're excited that these new efforts place a spotlight on the PSP system by delivering value to existing PSP owners and reaching new audiences at a time when gift-givers are looking for what's hot in entertainment."

"Find Me" Ad Campaign Launched at the end of October, the new TV advertising campaign uses an engaging narrative style to show one PSP owner's quest to find his love interest, armed only with his PSP system and a 4 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo(TM) filled with her photos, videos, and music. Spider-Man 2 movie clips, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 2, and ATV Offroad Fury(R) Pro are also shown to emphasize the PSP system's broad content offering. The campaign, consisting of two 30-second spots and one 60-second spot, targets the 16- to 34-year-old male audience. The PSP system's vibrant LCD widescreen, broad range of gaming and entertainment content, and overall sleek design have enabled SCEA to successfully carve out this new market, which represents a departure from the far younger consumer that competitors have traditionally reached with their gaming handhelds. The 30-second spots are now airing on network, cable and syndicated programming. Executions will run through the holidays on a broad mixture of programs and networks that reach the target demographic, including: the Jimmy Kimmel Show (ABC); Mad TV, Family Guy and The Simpsons (Fox); Conan O' Brien and Saturday Night Live (NBC); The Daily Show and South Park (Comedy Central); NCAA Football and Basketball, NBA Basketball, and SportsCenter (ESPN/ESPN2); TRL (MTV); WWE (USA); the G4 network and more.

PSP Spot Download Station Beginning this month, consumers can take their PSP system to participating retailers, including Circuit City, GameStop, Target, and Toys "R" Us, to download the hottest gaming and entertainment content from a PSP Spot Download Station. These interactive kiosks offer game demos, movie trailers, music clips, mini-strategy guides, wallpapers and more, delivering a broad range of content that PSP owners are looking for. By January 2007, PSP Spot Download Stations will be available at more than 6,000 retailer locations. The PSP Spot currently offers the following content.

Game Trailers Demos -- NFL Street 3 -- Outrun -- Bounty Hounds -- Worms -- LocoRoco -- Dungeon Siege -- Lemmings -- MLB 2006 -- Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins Videos -- Lumines 2 -- PSP Greatest Hits -- Every Extended Extra -- PSP Educational -- MX vs ATV -- Race Driver 2006 Game Sharing -- Daxter -- Lemmings -- Lumines 2 -- Every Extended Extra -- LocoRoco

"At GameStop, we're always looking for ways to enhance the customer experience, and the PSP Spot's gaming demonstration capabilities does just that by delivering content that gamers can enjoy while shopping at our stores," said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president, merchandising, at GameStop. "This is also a great opportunity to let our customers check out the newest releases for themselves before they decide which titles to buy."

Online Marketing Campaigns Two online marketing campaigns will generate awareness of the PSP system through the holiday shopping season. One campaign already running focuses on the PSP Entertainment Pack, a hardware bundle available since September that includes the PSP system, ATV Offroad Fury(R): Blazin' Trails, the "Lords of Dogtown" UMD(TM) (Universal Media Disc) movie, and a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo(TM). The creative concept utilizes a wish list style and showcases the PSP Entertainment Pack's consumer value. Executions are running on a variety of enthusiast, consumer and lifestyle Web sites, such as IGN.com, ESPN.com, and MTV.com. A second campaign, launching shortly, is designed to reach gift-givers, with creative focusing on how the PSP system is among the sought-after gifts this holiday season. The campaign will run on a mixture of sites.

PSP on the Web With Wi-fi connectivity, the PSP system's online experience is just as important to consumers as the offline one. The PSP system now has its own Really Simple Syndication (RSS) site to deliver gaming and movie content, music, photos, and more. Available directly from a PSP system at http://psp.us.playstation.com/rss, consumers can subscribe to feeds that automatically push these entertainment files to them whenever they access their device's RSS Channel at a hot spot. The new RSS site features the PlayStation Mayhem show, an entertaining lifestyle audio and video program covering style, gaming, gadgets, music, celebrities, civilians and trends. Additional content now available includes trailers and other videos from Def Jam(R): Fight for New York(TM): The Takeover, The Godfather: Mob Wars, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Need for Speed(TM) Carbon: Own the City, as well as athlete interviews and top tricks from the Dew Action Sports Tour. On the official PSP Web site (http://www.us.playstation.com/psp), consumers can now download content from the "Find Me" ad campaign, including the TV spots, behind-the-scenes shots, screen grabs, and more.

PSP Billboards With nearly 23 million units shipped worldwide, the PSP system has become a common sighting on the subway, at the park, and on planes. You can even catch a glimpse of the handheld in the sky -- SCEA has launched a giant PSP billboard in Las Vegas at the busy corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and Tropicana Ave., complementing a similar billboard that has been live in New York City since 2005. The oversized PSP screens of both installations have been refreshed with first and third-party gaming content from upcoming releases, Sony Pictures' UMD movie trailers, and highlights from the Dew Action Sports Tour.

About the PSP system The PSP system is the first truly integrated handheld entertainment system designed to handle multiple applications -- music, video, photo, Internet, live and recorded TV, and wireless connectivity, with games as its key feature. The PSP system features an unmatched library of entertainment content, combining more than 160 games and more than 430 feature films, TV programs, and videos on UMD from major studios and record labels, as well as downloadable content from the Internet.

About Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PS one(TM) game console, PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system and the upcoming, much-anticipated PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system. Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for PS one game console, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and PSP system for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. serves as regional headquarters for all North American operations and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. More information can be found online at http://www.us.playstation.com.

FBI, NCsoft Close Down Computer Game Operation

Year long investigation results in raids in multiple search and seizure warrants; Individuals questioned in unauthorized game server scheme

AUSTIN, Texas, November 20, 2006— FBI Agents working in conjunction with officials from NCsoft’s® North American business successfully closed down a computer game operation alleged to be reaping profits by providing a fraudulent service to its players. The operation was closed down after multiple raids and interviews were conducted in various cities from California to Virginia.

Federal search warrants were served on owners of L2Extreme who were also questioned during the raid. L2Extreme was providing its users with unauthorized service and code for NCsoft’s online computer game, Lineage® II. The warrants enabled officials to halt L2Extreme’s operations while collecting further evidence in the course of the investigation.

The FBI estimates L2Extreme has up to 50,000 active users on its service. NCsoft estimates that monetary losses and damages from the operation are costing NCsoft millions of dollars per year.

L2Extreme advertised on its website, www.l2extreme.com, that more than half million registered users had subscribed to play.

“Operations like this essentially are defrauding customers by stealing from companies like NCsoft,” said Matt Esber, NCsoft North America general counsel. “In the end those losses impact our customer support, product development, operational areas and ultimately they impact our player communities, most of which are trying to play games legitimately. This group in particular was downloading our version of the Lineage II software from our servers, costing us close to a million dollars in realized bandwidth costs during the period it was operational.

“We’ve taken this action because we strongly believe in defending the intellectual property rights that we’ve worked so hard to create. We’re extremely pleased that the FBI has worked with us so diligently to bring this particular case to its current state and we want our customers to understand that we will continue to fight similar operations in the future in order to maintain the integrity of all NCsoft games.”

The investigation into the L2Extreme operation is ongoing.

About NCsoft:

NCsoft North America is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korea-based NCsoft Corporation. NCsoft, with its own development and publishing offices in Texas and California, also works with other NCsoft subsidiaries and third party developers throughout North America to develop and publish innovative online entertainment software products. The company has successfully launched multiple online titles in the last three years and continues to support its franchises that include Lineage/Lineage II, City of Heroes®/City of Villains®, Guild Wars®/Guild Wars Factions™ and Auto Assault®. More information about NCsoft can be found at http://www.plaync.com.

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