EM i fodbold afholdes i Portugal til sommer, og den slags skal selvfølgelig udnyttes kommercielt i alle henseender. Electronic Arts har sikret sig retten til at lave det officielle EM 2004 computerspil – ikke overraskende, hvis man tager deres succes med FIFA-serien i betragtning – og resultatet af dén aftale er UEFA EURO 2004, der vil blive udgivet til PC, GameCube, PlayStation2 og Xbox til sommer, i forbindelse med afviklingen af mesterskabet. Sammen med en pressemeddelelse har EA fremsendt to screenshots (lidt nærigt, vi vil gerne have flere), som kan nydes i det til lejligheden oprettede galleri. Klik igennem for at se den omtalte pressemedelelse.

ELECTRONIC ARTS SIGNS EXCLUSIVE LICENSING AGREEMENT WITH UEFA

EA SPORTS to produce official licensed videogame for UEFA EURO 2004TM

Chertsey, UK. – February 6th, 2004 – Electronic Arts (Nasdaq:ERTS) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced today they have signed an agreement for EA to develop, publish and distribute the official videogame of UEFA EURO 2004TM under the EA SPORTS brand which will be an official interactive entertainment experience of the EURO 2004TM tournament. The EA SPORTS UEFA EURO 2004TM officially licensed game will be developed and published by EA this summer to coincide with the finals of the UEFA EURO 2004TM tournament in Portugal.

“We are excited to extend UEFA’s mission of promoting European football at every level of the game through our EA SPORTS simulation of the EURO 2004TM final tournament event,” said Jan Bolz, Vice President, Sales and Marketing for EA Europe. “Combining EA’s global expertise in football videogames with UEFA’s passionate European fan base will give football fans endless opportunity to relive the excitement and drama of EURO 2004.”

In EURO 2004TM mode players can play as any of the 51 European nations. Players can arrange and play friendly matches against other nations or play through the tournament going from qualifying, to playoffs and into the finals. In addition to tracking injuries and suspensions, a new dynamic morale system will track players’ morale, which will fluctuate based on individual and team performances and affect player abilities on the field.

The official UEFA EURO 2004TM videogame is currently under development at EA’s Canadian studio, the company’s largest, which is world-renowned for creating critically-acclaimed and best selling sports games. The officially licensed EURO 2004TM videogame is scheduled for release to coincide with the EURO 2004TM finals in Portugal this summer.