Xboxist

EA and Best Buy Want You to Feel the Gridiron at The EA Sports Madden NFL 08 Challenges

Electronic Arts today announced the start of the EA SPORTS Madden NFL 08 Challenge series presented by Best Buy, one of the nation's leading gaming retailers. In its sixth year, the Madden Challenge series has proven to be the ultimate competition for EA SPORTS Madden fans. The new season officially kicks off September 15 in Dallas, TX.

The EA SPORTS Madden Challenge series was created to reflect the competition of real-world football players and to provide official tournaments for the very best players to battle for bragging rights and prizes. EA held its first gaming competition in 2001 launching what would become the annual Madden Challenge, a competition offering hardcore players of the Madden NFL Football franchise the chance to test their skills against the best from around the country. Over the years, the success and excitement of the Madden Challenge series evolved into an international competition and, for the second year in a row, NFL International is internationally sponsoring tournaments in London, Toronto and Mexico City.

"The EA SPORTS Madden NFL Franchise has always been about competition," said Brian Movalson, EA SPORTS Marketing Director. "With the official EA SPORTS Madden Challenge presented by Best Buy, we're not only able to give millions of consumers the chance to compete at Madden, but also they can come out and experience the EA SPORTS brand in a fun environment outside of their living rooms."

The growth of HD gaming has also helped elevate the Madden 08 experience to the point where the images and sounds make players feel like they are a part of the game.

"The Madden NFL 08 Challenge is a great way to show consumers how high definition can take gaming to a new level," said Jill Hamburger, vice president of video games at Best Buy. "We know the top two things people want to do on their new high definition sets are to watch sports and to play games. Madden 08 lets you do both, and Best Buy can help you get set up for the best possible HD experience."

The success of the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge series is supported by gamers who know that EA delivers the best game competition experience, drawing the most competitive players out to prove who really is the best Madden NFL player in the world. This is the ultimate venue where gamers compete from beyond the couch and go mano a mano for a chance to compete with the best.

"I play Madden for hours on end in my living room and have been proven the best among all my friends," said Ayan Tariq, the 2006 Madden Challenge Finals Winner. "I heard about the Madden Challenge and knew I had to enter. It was the best thing I had ever done -- I'm $100,000 richer and I got to meet my favorite NFL players. I'm definitely charged up to be #1 again this year!"

The 2007 EA Sports Madden Challenge Regional Tournament presented by Best Buy will test the skills of thousands of gamers on Madden NFL 08, on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation2 consoles. The Xbox 360 division (consisting of up to 256 competitors at each regional stop) will feature competition on the Xbox 360 videogame system from Microsoft where the winners will advance to the 2007 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge FINALS Tournament in Los Angeles, CA. A new PlayStation 2 Division (256 competitors at each stop) will feature play on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the winners from each region will win $1,000. Visit www.maddenchallenge.com for official rules.

EA will have a presence in 17 U.S. cities to bring the 2007 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Regional Tournament to you. The winners from the 17 U.S. cities and three NFL international tournaments will advance to the 2007 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Finals Tournament for a "made for TV" event. The winners of the 2007 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge will receive prizes totaling $100,000(a). For more information on rules, registration and regulations, go to www.maddenchallenge.com.

The success and popularity of the Madden Challenge series generated a need for EA to open up the competition to fans of different sports. The competition also includes the EA SPORTS NCAA Football Challenge, the EA SPORTS NBA LIVE Challenge and the NASCAR Challenge series presented by Craftsman. Total prize value for the competitions is more than $200,000.

Developed in Orlando, FL by EA Tiburon, Madden NFL 08 is available now on the Xbox 360 and Xbox videogame and entertainment systems from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION3 and PlayStation2 computer entertainment systems, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, Wii, PC, PSP (PlayStationPortable) handheld entertainment system and mobile handsets. For more information check out www.madden08.com.