REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – August 10, 2011 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that national team superstars and rivals Landon Donovan and Rafael Márquez will be united on the front cover of EA SPORTSTM FIFA Soccer 12 in North America when the videogame is available at retail September 27. Donovan and Márquez will be joined by Manchester United and England international striker Wayne Rooney, who is appearing on the cover in North America for the first time.
Longtime rivals on their respective national sides through three FIFA World Cup tournaments beginning in 2002, Donovan and Márquez are also stars of their Major League Soccer teams, the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls. Both players were chosen to the 2011 MLS All-Star team.
“Landon and Rafa have been the heart and soul of their national teams, and we have long admired their passion, dedication and exceptional performances,” said Matt Bilbey, Vice President and General Manager of Soccer, EA SPORTS. “They are two of the most respected and recognizable players in North America, and they will play an integral role in helping us launch FIFA Soccer 12 to soccer fans across the continent. With the addition of Wayne Rooney on the cover, it is truly a blockbuster lineup.”
Donovan, who is currently tied for the lead in MLS goal-scoring with 11 goals, will appear on the cover of FIFA Soccer 12, the No. 1 sports franchise on the planet*, wearing his Galaxy kit while Márquez, a designated player for the Red Bulls, is featured in the home Mexican national team kit. Rooney appears in the Manchester United home red kit.
Winner of 20 “Best Sports Game of E3” awards, including the prestigious 2011 E3 Game Critics award, FIFA Soccer 12 brings to the pitch the game-changing new Player Impact Engine, a physics engine built to deliver real-world physicality in every interaction on the pitch. Revolutionary gameplay innovations inspired by the real-world game make FIFA Soccer 12 deeper and more engaging. All-new Precision Dribbling creates a higher fidelity of touch on the ball for better control in tight spaces, more time to make decisions on attack, and more control over the pace of the game. Innovations in attack are balanced by a re-designed defending mechanism called Tactical Defending, which fundamentally changes the approach to defending by placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling. Plus, players have been infused with Pro Player Intelligence, the next generation of player intelligence and performance. FIFA Soccer 12 also introduces EA SPORTS Football Club—the heartbeat of FIFA Soccer 12. This live service is available at no additional cost and connects players to the real-world game with fresh, new content all the time, enabling them to support their favorite club and connect and compete with their friends, and millions of players around the world.
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