Electronic Arts today announced that EA SPORTS(TM) Rugby 2005 is under development
as the newest ongoing franchise in the EA SPORTS(TM) lineup, heralding the sport’s
emergence as a global phenomenon. The game, which features a host of gameplay
and graphical upgrades, will deliver an authentic rugby experience and is scheduled
for release in spring 2005 for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system,
the Xbox(R) videogame system from Microsoft, and the PC.

“EA SPORTS is committed to making the most complete and authentic rugby
game possible,” said Andrew Wilson, producer of the game. “By leveraging
our sports technology and experience to create EA SPORTS Rugby 2005, we feel
we can grow a successful interactive franchise for one of the fastest growing
sports in the world.”

EA SPORTS Rugby 2005 incorporates all the major Rugby teams, players, and tournaments,
including the Tri-Nations, Super 12 and many more authentic and prestigious
events from the world of Rugby. The game incorporates a completely upgraded
graphical engine with individually differentiated players, realistic motion-captured
player animations, dramatic lighting and cameras, and stadiums that are accurate
with details such as crowd reactions, songs, and chants. EA SPORTS Rugby 2005
plays realistically with on-the-fly play-calling, right analog stick controls
for fakes and crushing hits and improved kicking control. The game also features
a ‘Rugby 101′ training mode outlining the rules, controls, and tactics of the
sport through videos and interactive challenges.

EA SPORTS Rugby 2005 is being produced by EA Canada where such hit franchises
as FIFA Soccer, NBA LIVE and NHL are made. EA SPORTS Rugby 2005 is being developed
by HB Studios. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

About EA SPORTS

EA SPORTS is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world. Its
top-selling titles and franchises include Madden NFL(TM) Football, FIFA Soccer,
NHL(R), NBA LIVE basketball, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR(R), MVP Baseball(TM), NCAA(R)
Football, EA SPORTS Fight Night boxing, and NASCAR(R) racing. The EA SPORTS
home page is http://www.easports.com.

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. In 2003, EA had 27 titles that sold more than one
million copies. Electronic Arts markets its products under three brand names:
EA SPORTS(TM), EA GAMES(TM), and EA SPORTS BIG(TM). EA’s homepage and online
game site is http://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.

Filed under: Games

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!