NEWS - Thursday, February 13, 2003
EA and DICE enter publishing agreement
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., February 12, 2003 - Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), the world’s leading developer and publisher of video games, and Swedish developer Digital Illusions, C.E. (DICE) today announced a strategic investment and long-term publishing agreement for video games made by DICE studios. EA has purchased a minority interest in DICE and licensed the worldwide publishing rights for future products developed by DICE. In 2002, DICE and EA partnered to release the global blockbuster, Battlefield 1942TM. The critically acclaimed online multi-player game is in distribution in more than 36 countries and has shipped more than 900,000 games to date. In January 2003, EA released a Battlefield 1942 expansion pack titled Battlefield: The Road to Rome, with all new content to accompany the original game. "The success of Battlefield 1942 proved that DICE has emerged from a small studio into one of the world’s top developers of game content," said EA President and Chief Operating Officer John Riccitiello. "With EA’s investment and global publishing capability, this company is going to continue to develop blockbuster game franchises." "Battlefield 1942 showed us what DICE could do with the right publishing partner for its original IP," said DICE CEO Patrick Soderlund from the company’s headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. "We are a company with tremendous talent, powerful intellectual properties and many ideas for new games. Now, with the financial backing and global publishing reach of Electronic Arts, DICE can focus on becoming a major force in the world of entertainment." --Hopefully this means for us Xbox Gamers that EA might not cancel the upcoming DICE games!Source: http://www.xboxaddict.com/
