Earth & Beyond the First Online Role-Playing Game to Engage Players in Developing Epic Story

Business Wire, March 4, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2003

After colonizing more than 60 sectors of the Milky Way, humanity thought it had the galaxy to itself. Humanity was very, very wrong.

Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS) today announced that Earth & Beyond(TM), the first online role-playing galaxy, has launched an epic story that will allow players to be the heroes in a struggle that will determine the fate of humanity.

"No other online role-playing game has been able to tell a compelling story and make the players feel a part of it. Our goal for Earth & Beyond is to be the first," said Craig Alexander, vice president and executive producer of Earth & Beyond. "If we do this right, every player will feel like they have a major role in an ongoing science fiction epic. We're offering the chance to be a hero, to become famous for noble acts in the face of great danger."

The foundation for the developing story was laid in early 2003 when a strange alien race called the "Vrix" first appeared and began exploring human space. At the same time, dozens of encoded data fragments were discovered, causing a massive debate among the Earth & Beyond community about their meaning.

"We're building tension the way you would in Act I of a movie," Alexander continued. "We've established our main characters, let players learn about the setting, and introduced our antagonist, the mysterious Vrix. Now, we're getting ready for Act II, and the fans are in for some big surprises."

The evolving Earth & Beyond story will develop with regular updates that include massive battles, assassinations, betrayals, galactic politics, and shocking revelations. Players will be involved in the story through solving mysteries, discovering key information, taking on crucial missions and participating in battles that will include hundreds of participants.

Earth & Beyond fans are already obsessed with the developing plot. They've discovered and decoded more than 70 of the coded data fragments, and continue to discover more every day. Fans are also contributing to the fiction of the game by submitting more than 50 news articles a week as reporters for the Net-7 in-game news service. Additionally, more than 100 Earth & Beyond fan websites have sprung up, and theories about the ongoing story are one of the most popular topics of discussion and debate.

Earth & Beyond was one of the best-reviewed new games in 2002, winning many editors' awards, buy recommendations, and positive reviews from respected trade and mainstream publications like Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, and IGN.com.

Important information on Earth & Beyond, including Terms of Service and game availability can be found at http://www.earthandbeyond.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.7 billion for fiscal 2002. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for the Internet, personal computers and video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS(TM), EA GAMES(TM), EA SPORTS BIG(TM) and EA.COM(SM). More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.info.ea.com.

Note to Editors: Electronic Arts, Earth & Beyond, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and EA GAMES are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the US and/or other countries. EA.COM is a service mark of EA.com Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.