EA
ANNOUNCES THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH II FOR
THE XBOX 360
Players
Can Now Command the Epic Battles of Middle-earth from Their Living Room Couch
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., January 13, 2006 – Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that the highly
anticipated PC game, The Lord of the
Ringsâ„¢, The Battle for Middle-earthâ„¢ II will make its
exclusive console debut when it ships in Summer 2006 on the Xbox 360â„¢.
Players can now command epic Middle-earth battles presented in spectacular high-definition
from the comfort of their very own couch. To add to the intensity of the
experience, The Lord of the Rings, The
Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 is the first game in The Lord of the Ringsâ„¢ series that
will be playable over Xbox LIVEâ„¢*.
Players will be able to challenge friends online and engage in intense,
action-packed real-time battles.
“Living these
cinematic battles in high-definition with stunning surround sound, all from the
comfort of your living room couch on the Xbox 360, is an extraordinary
experience,†said Louis Castle, VP of
Creative Development at EALA. “Adding the ability to battle it
out with friends via Xbox LIVE is
also really exciting.â€
Based
on the PC version of the same name, The Lord
of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II
for the Xbox 360 will bring players into the heart of Middle-earth to live the
battles seen in the blockbuster New Line Cinema films and classic J.R.R.
Tolkien literary fiction. The game boasts a new and intuitive console-specific
control scheme that will allow novice players to enjoy the game’s
signature strategy gameplay while giving expert players the flexibility needed
to engage in a deeply complex strategy experience. Players will directly
control hundreds of units in an attempt to defeat enemy armies, conquer new
lands, and seal the fate of Middle-earth.
Developed at
EA’s Los Angeles studio, The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360 offers players a new depth of The Lord of the Rings fiction never before explored in an EA
console game. The game makers at EALA have brought The Lord of the Rings world to life in accordance with an
agreement with The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises that grants EA
the rights to develop games based on the books, in addition to a separate
agreement that allows for games based on the New Line Cinema films.
The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II for the Xbox 360
has not yet been rated by the ESRB and the PC version is rated “Tâ€
for Teen by the ESRB. For
more information about either game, please
visit: www.bfme2.ea.com. For information about all of EA’s
games, please visit EA’s press site at www.info.ea.com.
*Online play requires Internet Connection. Xbox Live online
play also requires subscription to the Xbox Live service.
###
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's
leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the
company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for
videogame systems, personal computers and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets
its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSâ„¢,
EAâ„¢, EA SPORTS BIGâ„¢ and POGOâ„¢. In fiscal 2005, EA posted
revenues of $3.1 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million
copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com.
More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be
found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
About Tolkien Enterprises
The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises is the
holder of worldwide motion picture, legitimate stage, merchandising, and other
rights in J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works The Lord of the Rings and
The Hobbit. Tolkien Enterprises has been producing and
licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on Tolkien’s
works for almost 30 years. Its headquarters are in Berkeley, California, and its website may
be found at www.tolkien-ent.com.
About New Line Cinema Corporation
Founded almost 40 years ago, New Line Cinema is the most
successful independent film company in the world. Its mission is to produce
innovative, popular and profitable entertainment in the best creative
environment. In addition to the production, marketing and distribution of
theatrical motion pictures, the fully-integrated studio has divisions devoted
to home entertainment, television, music, theater, merchandising and an
international unit. In 2005, New Line partnered with HBO to form Picturehouse,
a new theatrical distribution company to release independent films. A pioneer
in franchise filmmaking, New Line’s Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of
the most successful film franchises in history. New Line is a division of Time
Warner, Inc. (TWX).
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
All The Lord of the Rings content
other than content from the New Line trilogy of The Lord of The Rings films © 2006 The Saul Zaentz
Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises (“SZCâ€). All Rights
Reserved. The Lord of the Rings,
and the names of the characters, events, items, and places therein are
trademarks or registered trademarks of SZC under license. All content
from The Lord of the Rings film
trilogy © MMVI New Line Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Xbox and Xbox LIVE are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the U.S. and/or other
countries. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
