Xbox Addict

Need for Speed Shift Puts Racers in Control

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced details on the exclusive driver profile system in Need for Speed™ SHIFT. Driver profile is the ultimate extension of the true driver’s experience. Extending through the single player career and online multiplayer modes, driver profile gives each player a unique game experience based on the way each player drives on the track. This exclusive driver profile system pushes the entire racing genre forward.

During this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, EA invited attendees to participate in a Need for Speed SHIFT Hero Car Competition that showcased the driver profile. Competitors raced around the Autopolis track in the BMW M3 GT2 hero car generating the highest number of driver profile points. The winner of the Need for Speed SHIFT Hero Car Competition, Mitchell Francis, from Los Angeles won a brand new 2009 BMW M3 Coupe.

Driver profile is a tailor-made career mode based on four key game play components:

1. Personality - a player’s driving style determines whether they are an aggressive or precise driver.

2. Success - as in every race, the ultimate goal is to finish at the top of the podium.

3. Profile points - every car passed, every corner mastered, every opponent taken out generates profile points.

4. Badges - these unique icons bring individuality and style to each player’s driver profile, as each player races and completes top achievements.

As a player’s driver profile develops through the course of the game, it creates rivalries, triggers specific challenges and even unlocks vehicles and customization options. Need for Speed SHIFT’s multiple reward systems keeps players in each race regardless of their position.

"The new driver profile feature in Need for Speed SHIFT gives players full control of how they progress through game," said Patrick Soderlund, Senior Vice President of EA Games Europe. "In SHIFT, how you drive is who you are behind the wheel."

Need for Speed SHIFT is being developed by Slightly Mad Studios in collaboration with Black Box and Patrick Soderlund. Slightly Mad Studios includes developers and designers that worked on the critically acclaimed games GT Legends and GTR 2. The PSP (PlayStation Portable) version is being developed by EA’s Bright Light studio.

Need for Speed SHIFT is scheduled to ship in Europe on September 17 and in North America on September 22 on the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PC and PSP system. More information can be found at www.needforspeed.com or follow us on Twitter at NeedforSpeed. Press can download assets at http://info.ea.com.