NEWS - Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Big Time Athletes Cover NFL Street
Electronic Arts announced today that former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, a candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2004, Ricky Williams, Pro Bowl running back from the Miami Dolphins, and Shannon Sharpe, Pro Bowl tight end from the Denver Broncos, will be the official cover athletes for the upcoming NFL STREET videogame under the EA SPORTS BIG(TM) brand. All three will also serve as official spokespersons for the franchise and members of the NFL STREET advisory council. "Playing this game brings back great memories of playing on the streets as a kid," commented Ricky Williams. "We were always trying to pull off crazy moves on the playground and this game really brings those to life." Sanders and Sharpe were two of many NFL players to preview the game and give the development team feedback on the game’s design and function. Other NFL stars serving on the game’s unofficial advisory council are Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons, Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens, Marcellus Wiley of the San Diego Chargers, and Jeremy Newberry of the San Francisco 49ers. The debut of the NFL STREET franchise will not only feature the likenesses of Sanders, Williams, and Sharpe in gameplay, but also an original piece of box front art featuring the athletes created by renowned urban artist Kadir Nelson. Kadir’s art has been shown around the world in venues as diverse as the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, The Bristol Museum in England, and the Citizen’s Gallery of Yokohama, Japan. NFL STREET features fast-paced, 7-on-7 gameplay where players use Stylin’ moves, pitches, and brute force to power their way down the field. Players include over 350 of the NFL’s biggest stars from all 32 teams including legends like William "The Refrigerator" Perry and Lawrence Taylor. Eight urban locales are more than just a place to play; they change how the game is played. Each field has unique dimensions and field surfaces like loose sand, dirt, mud, and turf can force a change in your lineup and game plan. All of the NFL players featured in the game were made available from a license with PLAYERS INC, the marketing and licensing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. NFL STREET, which is being developed by EA Tiburon, is slated to ship in January of 2004 for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, and the Nintendo GameCube(TM).Source: http://www.easports.com
