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EA Signs Multiyear Agreement With Massive to Offer Dynamic In-Game Advertising on Titles for Xbox 360 and Windows-Based PC Platforms


    Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Massive Inc., a wholly
    owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT) and a leading
    network for video game advertising, today announced an expansion and
    two-year extension of their agreement to offer dynamic in-game
    advertising for EA video games. The new global agreement provides
    unprecedented opportunities for advertisers to engage with EA´s highly
    coveted audience -- especially males ages 18 to 34 -- through its
    roster of blockbuster games on the Xbox 360(TM) platform and exclusive
    rights to a majority of EA´s premium PC products.

    With over three years of experience in dynamically serving
    advertisements in video games, Massive is the definitive in-game
    advertising solution for advertisers around the world, including Ford
    Motor Co. in the U.S., Rogers in Canada, and Puma in Europe. Massive´s
    long-standing relationship with EA, publisher of many of the world´s
    most popular games, provides advertisers with extensive reach through
    EA´s portfolio of premium content video games. This agreement
    represents a critical point of differentiation for Massive as the
    in-game advertising medium continues its momentum as a more attractive
    and effective medium compared with traditional forms of established
    advertising.

    With the latest agreement, EA will further expand the
    opportunities available to advertisers by extending the participation
    of current titles in the Massive network as well as incorporating
    additional, highly anticipated games over the course of the deal. The
    wide range of EA content that will be available in the Massive network
    includes the next two iterations of popular EA SPORTS(TM) franchises
    including Madden NFL* football, NBA LIVE basketball, NASCAR* (R)
    racing and NHL(R) hockey.

    Massive will continue to be the exclusive in-game ad network for
    PC and Xbox 360 platforms of the world´s largest racing franchise,
    EA´s Need For Speed(TM), including current live titles Need for Speed
    Carbon and Need for Speed ProStreet. Massive is also working with
    marketers to incorporate dynamic advertising into another popular EA
    racing title, Burnout(TM) Paradise.

    "We continue to utilize the breadth and depth of Massive´s content
    to market a range of our clients´ key brands," said Brian Bos, senior
    vice president, Convergence Director, Mindshare - Team Detroit. "With
    this expanded partnership, we will be able to plan dynamic in-game
    campaigns several years out, which is critical in making Massive´s
    content platform a more integral part of our video game marketing
    strategy."

    "EA strongly believes that dynamic in-game advertising is an
    important growth area for our business, and is one of many
    opportunities we are pursuing in growing the advertising market," said
    Kathy Vrabeck, president of the Casual Entertainment Label at EA. "We
    selected Massive because they are the industry leader in this space
    with a global sales footprint, solid brand recognition and in-depth
    experience in video game advertising."

    By providing certainty around Massive´s ad inventory for years
    into the future, the multiyear agreement enables advertisers to plan
    in-game advertising on a calendar year basis as part of a holistic
    campaign development process alongside other mediums such as TV,
    online and print media.

    Rouwen Bastian, Coordinator European Media Strategies at Opel,
    said: "In-game advertising plays an essential role for us in reaching
    today´s young adult consumers. The multi-year agreement between
    Massive and EA makes it possible for us to make greater strategic use
    of in-game advertising by incorporating it into the same long-term
    planning as other media forms."

    Richard Dance, Group Account Director at MindShare Interaction UK,
    said: "The growing channel of in-game advertising provides an exciting
    and creative medium in which to work. Although we are only scratching
    the surface with regards to the opportunities it provides, more and
    more of our clients are keen to include in-game advertising as a part
    of their multichannel strategy."

    "Our latest agreement with EA expands advertisers´ unprecedented
    access to EA´s world-class franchises to reach young male gamers
    around the world," said Cory Van Arsdale, CEO of Massive. "This
    multiyear partnership reflects both the maturity of the dynamic
    in-game advertising medium and the benefits that our network continues
    to deliver for both publishers and advertisers."

    About Electronic Arts

    Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) (NASDAQ:ERTS), 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 SPORTS(TM),
    EA(TM), EA SPORTS BIG(TM) and POGO(TM). In fiscal 2007, EA posted
    revenue of USD 3.09 billion and had 24 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 Massive Inc.

    Massive Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp., is the
    creator of a leading network for dynamic video game advertising. The
    Massive Network offers advertisers the ability to engage an aggregated
    gaming audience in real time across multiple platforms. Over 200
    blue-chip advertisers have run campaigns across the Massive Network
    throughout North America and Europe. Publishers in the Massive Network
    generate revenue through dynamic in-game advertising, enabling them to
    fully realize the value of their content while preserving and
    enhancing the game experience. Massive´s technology allows for all
    forms of downloadable media and advertising content to be contextually
    integrated into the game environment, including image, audio, video
    and game object formats. More information can be found online at
    http://www.massiveincorporated.com.

    About Microsoft

    Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) is the worldwide leader
    in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses
    realize their full potential.

    EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG, POGO and Need for Speed are
    trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the
    U.S. and/or other countries. John Madden, NFL, NBA, NASCAR and NHL are
    trademarks of their respective owners and used with permission. Xbox
    and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All
    other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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    * Madden NFL and NASCAR available in North America only.