October 30, 2008 12:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time 

EA Blasts Onto Wii With NERF “N-Strike” Unleashing Over-the-Top Action on the Digital Playground

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Casual Entertainment Label of Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced the release of NERF “N-Strike”™ for the Wii™. The game, inspired by the globally popular franchise from Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), features non-stop NERF-style pandemonium where players are faced with a series of challenging missions that put blasting strategies and skills to the ultimate test. NERF “N-Strike” also ships with a custom NERF SWITCH SHOT EX-3 blaster, the first ever 2-in-1 video game and toy peripheral bundle to hit the market.

“EA and Hasbro are breaking new ground in the consumer space with the launch of NERF ‘N-Strike’,” said Chip Lange, General Manager and Vice President of EA Casual Entertainment. “NERF ‘N-Strike’ is the ultimate blend of each company’s leadership and expertise in their respective industries – video games and toys – and has allowed us to deliver the first ‘mom approved’ kid-friendly blaster game for the Wii bundled with an official NERF blaster ratcheting up the mayhem on both the digital and asphalt playground.”

The bundled NERF SWITCH SHOT EX-3 blaster, which offers two ways to play, can be used in-game by snapping the Wii remote into the chamber or swapping in the dart cartridge to transform the blaster for classic NERF indoor and outdoor play.

“NERF ‘N-Strike’ truly showcases the power of the Hasbro-EA relationship in terms of innovation and integration,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Media and Gaming at Hasbro. “We’re delivering a toy and video game industry first by bundling NERF ‘N-Strike’ with a custom NERF blaster that can be used for both traditional and digital play – a big win for consumers in terms of fun and value. EA has done a tremendous job of re-imagining the ultimate NERF battleground on the Wii platform delivering over-the-top action heightened by the in-game use of the NERF blaster.”

NERF “N-Strike”, which targets boys 10 and older, features more than 25 unlockable in-game blasters including digital replicas of popular real world NERF toy line blasters such as the Longshot CS-6 and Vulcan EBF-25 as well as never-before-seen fantasy blasters like the Crusher and Semper Fire created exclusively for the video game. As players enter the top-secret NERF training facility and begin to engage in the high-octane action, they quickly discover the importance of choosing the best blaster for the job as they pull down big victories or fall short and get taunted by in-game characters who have already achieved top blaster status.

NERF “N-Strike” gameplay progresses through various chambers, each featuring a series of missions and characters that must be overcome before moving to the next level. Example missions include “Dawn of Machines” which puts players behind the NERF blaster long-range scope and “Onslaught” which overloads the screen with moving targets that must be cleared as quickly as possible. NERF “N-Strike” offers multiplayer capabilities for up to four players to battle and determine who has what it takes to become the top Elite Striker.

NERF “N-Strike” for the Wii comes bundled with the NERF SWITCH SHOT EX-3 blaster and has a MSRP of $59.99. For expanded multiplayer fun, additional SWITCH SHOT EX-3 blasters are available in retail toy aisles and can be purchased separately for $14.99. Both the video game and blaster are available now at stores nationwide and will ship internationally in 2009. NERF “N-Strike” is rated “Everyone 10+” by the ESRB. For more information, visit http://nerf.ea.com. For assets, visit http://press.ea.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, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA^TM, EA SPORTS^TM, EA SPORTS Freestyle^TM and POGO^TM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 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 Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc. is a worldwide leader in children’s and family leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market a range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as TRANSFORMERS, PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. (C) 2008 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle and Pogo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Wii is a trademark of Nintendo. HASBRO and its logo, NERF and N-STRIKE are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.