[E3]Electronic Arts getting onboard Xbox Live

jupiterII

今晚(美国时间),EA和MS宣布将结成伙伴关系,开发xbox live游戏.
EA将会把其旗下的众多大牌游戏,开发XBOX版本,并支持XBOX LIVE在线对战.
大致名单可能会是:NCAA Football 2005, Madden NFL 2005, . NBA Live 2005, FIFA Soccer 2005, NHL 2005, NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 .


This evening at in Los Angeles, two of the biggest names in games--Microsoft and Electronic Arts--announced a new partnership that will fundamentally alter online console gaming.

After an extended period of negotiation, EA has agreed to bring almost its entire catalog of major online titles to Xbox Live.

The news came against the backdrop of a star-studded gala Shrine Auditorium, attended by sports luminaries such as St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk, Denver Nugget Carmelo Anthony, and the Greatest himself, Muhammad Ali.

“EA has always been a great publisher for Xbox,” Microsoft Chief Xbox Officer Robbie Bach told the crowd. “We’re strengthening our alliance by bringing EA’s world-class games to Xbox Live.” Chip Lange, VP of Marketing for EA Sports and Games Nation, echoed Bach's enthusiasm in a private interview with GameSpot. 'We are supporting this system aggressively, putting our full might behind it,' he said.

Lange also outlined EA's rapid timetable for bringing of the Xbox Live format. In July, NCAA Football 2005 will be playable on Xbox Live, with the 800-pound gorilla of online sports games, Madden NFL 2005, joining the service in August. NBA Live 2005, FIFA Soccer 2005, NHL 2005, NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 will follow soon thereafter.

By the end of the year, 15 of EA's online-enabled console titles will be playable on Xbox Live, and the selection will extend beyond EA's sports franchises. Burnout 3 and TimeSplitters Future Perfect will also be Xbox Live-compatible, as will two even bigger franchises, Need for Speed Underground 2 and a new, previously unannounced Xbox version of Battlefield: Modern Combat.

Speaking to GameSpot, Xbox Live General Manger Cameron Ferroni also revealed that EA's upcoming James-Bond-inspired action game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent will also have Xbox Live functionality. 'This is a landmark in online gaming,' he said, 'It's good for gamers.'

Of course, one question will still be on many gamers' minds--'What took you guys so long?' When asked that question, Ferroni gave a honest answer. '[Microsoft and EA] were entering uncharted territory, we were two companies that were conservatively approaching the [online] space.' Lange concurred, saying there never was a problem between the two companies. 'EA has always been a platform-agnostic company,' he told GameSpot, '[and] this marks a turning point for gaming.'