EA unveils MotionPlus tennis game

[Jeffrey]

EA is working on a new tennis game using the Wii MotionPlus.

EA Sports Tennis, which may be a working title, will be released on Wii in 2009 followed by other platforms with different control schemes.

Developed by EA Canada, it will be making use of the WiiMotion Plus and exclusively featuring All England Lawn Tennis Club, home of the Wimbledon Championships, as a playable venue.

Now if they can just make something on par with Virtua Tennis, we'll be in business. Excited, tennis fans?

EA's press release doesn't quite state whether the game has an actual Wimbledon licence, but we assume it's on the shopping list if nothing else.

"As we look to expand the EA Sports brand and captivate sports fans from around the world with rich new interactive experiences, it was obvious that the renaissance we're seeing in the sport of tennis provides us with a big opportunity," said Peter Moore, EA Sports president.

[Daryl]

Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced today that an all-new tennis videogame is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver under the EA SPORTSTM brand. The EA SPORTS tennis franchise will be available first for the WiiTM in 2009, followed by other platforms, and it will be the first EA SPORTS game that uses Nintendo's upcoming Wii MotionPlusTM accessory for the Wii RemoteTM that will give players a new level of accuracy and responsiveness.

"As we look to expand the EA SPORTS brand and captivate sports fans from around the world with rich new interactive experiences, it was obvious that the renaissance we're seeing in the sport of tennis provides us with a big opportunity," said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. "Our new tennis franchise, coming first to the Wii, will put fans right into the action and provide the excitement, tension and drama that true champions feel in legendary matches - like the classic from Wimbledon just last month."

EA SPORTS will bring tennis to life and allow players to experience the pressure and excitement of competing in the greatest theaters in the game, and it will be the only videogame to feature the All England Lawn Tennis Club - home of The Championships, Wimbledon. The all-new EA SPORTS tennis franchise will offer innovative ways to play, both as or against the greatest players from the past or present, letting you control the ball and work the court like you never have before in a tennis videogame.

For more information, please visit www.easports.com/tennis. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.