Electronic Arts Ships NHL 99 for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation and PC; First Time EA SPORTS Publishes Award-Winning NHL Hockey Game on the Nintendo 64.

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BW SportsWire)--Sept. 30, 1998--Electronic Arts(TM)(NASDAQ:ERTS), the world's largest interactive entertainment software company, today announced it is shipping NHL(R) 99 for the PlayStation(R), PC and for the first time ever, for the Nintendo(R) 64.

First published in 1991, EA SPORTS(TM) NHL interactive hockey games are the most popular interactive hockey games ever published. Last year's games won 11 major industry awards, while the series as a whole has won over 45 industry awards.

This year's games feature incredibly realistic hockey action with bigger body checks, harder slap shot animations, improved player graphics, professional sports commentators, and a new beginner level that allows newcomers to immediately enjoy the gaming experience. Stanley Cup(R)-winning coach Marc Crawford expanded on his involvement with the NHL 98 product by providing all new coaching strategies for NHL 99. A new game mode called "Marc Crawford's Coaching Drills" allows game players to practice their on-ice moves before trying them out against an opponent. "I'm proud to be a member of the NHL 99 team at EA SPORTS," said Crawford. "I'm sure consumers will find that this year's NHL 99 games are the smartest and best-playing interactive hockey games on the market."

"I am especially impressed with the way our NHL 99 development team captured the drama and intensity of every aspect of NHL hockey," commented Bruce McMillan, vice president and executive producer of the NHL series. "Our team -- many of whom play ice hockey themselves -- did a fantastic job communicating the fast, physical, and demanding play of the NHL. This is the key reason why our games are so fun to play year after year."

Other key features of NHL 99 include: -0-

--   As an official NHL and NHLPA(TM) licensed product, the game
     includes all 27 NHL teams, an expansion draft for the Nashville
     Predators and all the NHL players.
--   Areas of the game engine's artificial intelligence that have been
     improved to deliver smarter and more realistic gameplay include:
     goalies, shot deflections, breaking out of your own end, neutral
     zone play, odd-man rushes, and play behind the net;
--   All new skating and goalie animations provide more-realistic
     gameplay. The following NHL players had their skating, shooting
     and stick handling motion captured into NHL 99: center Mike
     Sillinger of the Philadelphia Flyers, and Vancouver Canucks
     players Markus Naslund, Mattias Ohlund and Donald Brashear.
--   Commentary by NHL broadcasters Daryl Reaugh and Jim Hughson
     (PC/PlayStation); ESPN's Bill Clement commentates for the
     Nintendo 64.
--   New 1998 rules include a smaller crease and allowing the video
     judge to call the referee re crease violations.

-0-

NHL 99 further distinguishes itself with ultra-detailed 3-D recreations of all 27 NHL arenas including center ice logos, luxury boxes and championship banners. Each arena has a custom "fly-in" video presentation giving users a detailed view of the city's skyline and the arena exterior. These features set the stage for home team fans prior to grueling match-ups.

Recognizing hockey's popularity throughout the world, NHL 99 contains 18 international teams, such as Czech Republic, Russia and Finland. The international teams are comprised of the NHL players who compete on their native countries' teams. Accurate stats for all teams are included. In exhibition mode, users can pit their favorite NHL teams against these international squads playing on international ice with international rules.

NHL 99 for the PC includes enhanced 3D accelerator card support. The Nintendo 64 is Rumble Pak(TM) compatible; the PlayStation version is compatible with the Dual Shock(TM) controller.

EA SPORTS is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world. Its top-selling titles include FIFA Soccer, John Madden Football(TM), NHL(R) Hockey, NBA Live Basketball, PGA TOUR(R) Golf, Triple Play Baseball(TM) and NASCAR(R) 98.

Electronic Arts, headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of $909 million for fiscal 1998. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal computers and advanced entertainment systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under seven brand names: Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS(TM), Maxis(TM), Origin Systems(TM) Inc., Bullfrog(TM) Productions Ltd., Westwood Studios(TM) and Jane's(R) Combat Simulations. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com.

Note to Editors: Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, ORIGIN Systems, Bullfrog, Maxis, Westwood Studios, John Madden Football and Triple Play Baseball are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts or its wholly-owned subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Jane's is a registered trademark of Jane's Information Group Ltd. NHL, NHLPA, Stanley Cup FIFA, NBA, PGA TOUR and NASCAR are trademarks of their respective owners and used under license. Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and Rumble Pak are trademarks of Nintendo of America Inc. PlayStation is a registered trademark and Dual Shock is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.