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Electronic Arts announced that FIFA Soccer World Championship, is the first EA SPORTS title to ship for the PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment system in Japan. FIFA Soccer World Championship, will ship this Spring in the Japanese market. Taking the interactive game player out of the stands and onto the field FIFA Soccer World Championship delivers a revolutionary game playing experience.

“FIFA Soccer World Championship is a perfect marriage of stunning graphics, silky smooth animation and refined gameplay in an emotionally evocative environment,” said FIFA Soccer Executive Producer, Marc Aubanel. “We are thrilled to bring the legendary FIFA Soccer Series to the PlayStation 2 console and set the standard for sports gaming excellence on this exciting new platform.”

FIFA Soccer World Championship features startling graphics that are designed specifically for the PlayStation 2 console to bring to life the on-field experience, through highly detailed facial animations, high-resolution player models and dynamic player and stadium lighting. Players run in and out of the shadows as they move up the field while the animated crowd waves flags and chants wildly.

FIFA Soccer World Championship will feature five game modes including Exhibition Mode, where players match up their favorite team against any other in the world. World Cup mode allows players to play in the World Cup final as Japan or 46 other international teams. U-23 World Championship Mode allows players a taste of the future as they play as one of the 16 top Under 23 National teams in the world. League Mode allows players to pick their favorite club team from England, Spain, Germany or Italy and play through a full season. The fifth mode is Training which allows players to hone their skills before taking on the big teams in the other modes. They can work on penalty, corner, free kicks, throw-ins, or a full practice match before taking to the pitch for heated competition.

Taking full advantage of the advanced capabilities of the PlayStation 2 capabilities will be an intuitive and responsive Artificial Intelligence (AI). Fully rendered characters, a plethora of new animations, improved motion blending and more frames per second than ever before bring the game to life. In-game music features popular English band Jamiroquai and top European DJ Paul Oakenfold. The game includes new motion-captured data from Japanese soccer legend, Hidetoshi Nakata. All of this combines to demonstrate the core concept of EA SPORTS, real user experience of the actual game on the virtual screen.

Dynamic living environments are further enhanced with improved sideline detail and dramatic stadium lighting. An aggressive visual impact is created with new visual effects such as depth of field, dramatic new cut scenes and real projected stadium shadows cast on the players. Field level camera angles allow video game players unrestricted sideline access to the on-field action. The game is so real that game players can witness physical exchanges between FIFA players and their emotional reactions to events in the game. Adding to the FIFA Soccer experience on the field is a lively bench full of players, a collection of stoic security guards and moving TV cameramen on the sidelines.

EA's FIFA Soccer titles worldwide will benefit from a new licensing agreement signed with FIFPro, the football players' rights organization. This will include all the names and likenesses of FIFPro's member player associations. This adds to accurate and in-depth team match ups, whether in friendly mode or in a heated shoot out for the Premier League title.

Electronic Arts is scheduled to ship its second-generation PlayStation 2 console FIFA Soccer titles in Europe and North America this fall. These titles will reap the benefits of an extended development cycle as the EA SPORTS production team continues to maximize the PlayStation 2 console offerings. This new FIFA Soccer game- playing experience will be localized in over 13 markets throughout the world. The North American game will include the Major League Soccer™ (MLS™) license and include all the players and teams of the MLS and will bear the title FIFA 2001 Major League Soccer. Throughout Europe the title will be known as FIFA 2001. The FIFA 2001 titles will also be developed for the PlayStation®, PC and Game Boy® Color.