WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT,
FILM-INSPIRED VIDEOGAME SLATED FOR MULTIPLE PLATFORMS IN 2005
Chertsey, UK, October 26, 2004 - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, DC Comics and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that the companies have joined forces to bring Batman Begins to multiple videogame platforms in 2005. In this exclusive co-publishing agreement, a game based on the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures' film starring Christian Bale will be released day and date with the film on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSPTM (PlayStation® Portable) handheld videogame system, the Xbox® video game system from Microsoft, the Nintendo GameCubeTM and Game Boy® Advance.
"The theatrical release of Batman Begins will be the entertainment event of the summer. Leveraging our extensive experience with blockbuster franchises, we look forward to bringing this game to market," said Frank Sagnier, Vice President, EA Partners Europe. "The Batman fiction is rich with style, drama and action - three elements that define this game and will help plunge players into the heart of the experience."
"Batman Begins is the darker depiction of Batman that we've all been waiting for, and we are teaming with EA to bring players an edgy, action game that captures this tale," said Jason Hall, Senior Vice President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. "Co-publishing Batman Begins allows Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to continue its involvement in the development and marketing of quality games based on Warner Bros. properties."
"We're thrilled to partner with EA and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to capture the magic of BATMAN BEGINS in a ground-breaking videogame," said Paul Levitz, President and Publisher of DC Comics. "This will mark the first time that a Batman video game has been developed to complement a film event, and we look forward to inviting players to step into the movie's reality and make the world of Batman their own."
Together, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and EA are overseeing all development and production aspects of the game, while EA alone will handle distribution. The companies will lead joint marketing campaigns. The game is being developed by UK-based Eurocom for the consoles, and by Vicarious Visions for the handhelds.
The Batman Begins film explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents' murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city.
ABOUT ELECTRONIC ARTS
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, EA posted revenues of $2.96 billion for fiscal 2004. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers and the Internet. EA markets its products under three brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EA GAMESTM, and EA SPORTS BIGTM. EA's homepage and online game site is www.electronicarts.co.uk More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.electronicarts.co.uk/press
ABOUT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc., a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is a premier licensor and a developer of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including consoles, PC-based gaming and wireless applications.
ABOUT DC COMICS
DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. These DC super heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics' Web site is located at www.dccomics.com.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and ® DC Comics. Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and EA GAMES are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. PlayStation is a registered trademark and PSP is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft and Xbox are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Nintendo GameCube is trademark of Nintendo. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. (s04)