Press release: 1997-08-26: Electronic Arts Ships Madden NFL 98 for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn; Last Year's Number-One Selling PlayStation and Saturn Title is Back to Claim the 1997 Championship Ring

This is an unaltered copy of a press release, for use as a primary source on Sega Retro. Please do not edit the contents below. Language: English third-party Original source: The Free Library

 SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 1997--Electronic Arts(TM)(NASDAQ:ERTS), a leading global interactive entertainment software company, today announced the shipment of Madden NFL(TM) 98 for the PlayStation(TM) and the Sega Saturn(TM).

The John Madden Football series is the most successful interactive sports game in the world, selling more than nine million units in the history of the franchise across multiple platforms. According to market research firm The NPD Group, Madden NFL 97 was the number-one selling video game sold on the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996. Madden NFL 98 is well positioned to claim the gridiron video game championship ring again this year.

Adding his support for Electronic Arts' (EA) football leadership is All-Pro running back Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions who said, "I provided a lot of input to the Madden production team this year from the players' perspective. My tips concentrated on the running game, but other guys in the league also gave EA a lot of input about their specific positions and what they thought could be improved. Madden is the game we all play on the road and in the locker room, so we were thrilled when EA SPORTS asked us to help them with the game. The results are awesome. Madden NFL 98 is the best playing game out there this year."

Madden NFL 98 offers well over 100 past and present NFL teams. All 30 current NFL teams, 85 All-Time and Super Bowl teams, plus numerous secret teams provide a multitude of match-ups for historical football fans who like to relive the glory years of their favorite teams, or the more casual fan or newcomer who is interested in focusing on this year's season.

Video footage features John Madden in the broadcast booth doing color commentary, with his longtime broadcasting partner Pat Summerall providing play-by-play. Madden's commentary is so advanced that it will point out at halftime specific reasons why a team is succeeding or failing, based on the style of play that is being utilized.

Every detail of the real game has been authentically reproduced in Madden NFL 98. Superior 3-D graphics that deliver fully-rendered custom stadiums for all 30 teams, multiple camera angles, and instant replay with a full 360-degree view all contribute to Madden NFL 98's realism. Working with professional athletes, EA SPORTS(TM) has again exploited the use of advanced motion capture technology to reproduce the exact movements of NFL players so that they run, jump, pass, tackle and celebrate the same way in the video game as they do in real life.

Madden NFL 98 Technology Advancements

Madden NFL 98 pushes interactive sports game technology to a new level. A key area of focus this year was devoted to the game's artificial intelligence (AI), which is the manner in which the computer reacts as the game is played. Pioneered by EA SPORTS, Madden NFL 98 is the first video game to implement a concept called Liquid AI(TM). Just as a liquid, such as water, flows when it hits a surface to fill open space and gaps, Liquid AI enables the video football players in Madden NFL 98 to dynamically flow and move to the correct positions on the field in order to make a play.

Other football games will give a player a pre-set responsibility for a play. In Madden NFL 98, however, a player will read a play as it develops, check what other players on his team and the opposing team are doing, and will react and change his assignment if necessary. The game reacts exactly as a human would.

"Madden NFL 98 plays smart. You've really got to pay attention to what you're doing to beat the game," said John Madden, Emmy Award winning broadcaster and former Super Bowl(TM) winning coach. "If you don't play smart like players do in the real game, you'll get run over by the computer. Then you'll wake up the next morning with a headache saying, 'What hit me? I was just playing a video game and now I can't get out of bed!'"

In an effort to increase the level of fun for both expert and novice game players, Madden NFL 98 features Touch Passing(TM) giving the user the highest level of control for the passing game. Touch Passing enables the game player to make different types of passes, based on the situation and defense, that will have the highest chance of success. Depending on how hard the controller paddle pass button is hit, users can loft the ball over a defensive back and hit a receiver on a fade rout in the corner of the end zone.

It is now also possible to zip a bullet pass between two defenders and hit a receiver in stride. In addition to the pure fun factor of touch passing, it also rewards those hard-core game players who can read a defense and execute the right pass in a given situation.

Since competition is such a major component of the interactive sports gaming lifestyle, Madden NFL 98 has multiplayer capabilities that allow up to eight players to go head-to-head simultaneously. Hundreds of plays are included to reflect the NFL's sophisticated offensive and defense playcalling. A full host of adjustable penalties are included in the game so that infractions such as holding, pass interference and unnecessary roughness can be called frequently or sporadically, depending on the personal preference of those playing the game.

Madden NFL 98 also has the option of letting participants take on the role of a general manager and trade players while working under a salary cap. With the "create a player" feature, custom players can be created for any position. The dynamic Pro Bowl(TM) mode selects players based upon their performance during the season. Those players who excel are picked to play in the Pro Bowl, in a fully-rendered reproduction of Aloha Stadium in Hawaii.

The product carries a suggested retail price of $49.95 for both the PlayStation and Sega Saturn.

EA SPORTS is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world. Its top-selling titles include FIFA Soccer, John Madden Football(TM), NHL(R) Hockey, NBA Live Basketball, PGA TOUR(R) Golf, Triple Play Baseball(TM), and Andretti Racing.

Electronic Arts, headquartered in San Mateo, is a leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, EA posted revenues of $625 million for fiscal 1997. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal computers and advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStation(TM), Nintendo(R) 64 and Sega Saturn(TM). Electronic Arts markets its products worldwide under five brand names: Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS(TM), Origin Systems(TM) Inc., Bullfrog(TM) Productions Ltd., Maxis(TM) and Jane's(R) Combat Simulations.

EA has international subsidiaries in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The company has North American development operations in San Mateo; Walnut Creek, Calif.; Baltimore; Austin, Texas; Seattle; and Vancouver, British Columbia. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com . -0-

Note to Editors: Electronic Arts, Origin Systems, Bullfrog, Maxis, EA SPORTS, John Madden Football, Liquid AI, Touch Passing, and Triple Play Baseball are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts or its wholly-owned subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. FIFA Soccer is an official FIFA licensed product. NBA, NHL, NFL, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, FIFA and PGA TOUR are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners and are used under license. Jane's is a registered trademark of Jane's Information Group Ltd. Nintendo and Nintendo 64 are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. PlayStation is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sega Saturn is a trademark of Sega Enterprises Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Electronic Arts

Charlie Scibetta, 650/513-7537

[email protected]
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