Rather than release Hasbro Family Game Night as one complete package as they did with the Wii release, EA instead plans on releasing the games as a series of Xbox Live Arcade games on the 360. The line up includes Scrabble, Boggle, Yahtzee, Battleship, Sorry!, and Sorry! Sliders, which I am assuming is Sorry! played with Krystal burgers, though I could be wrong. Players will be able to earn trophies, furniture, and special themes used to decorate their own little virtual game room. The first titles will begin trickling out in the spring.

Along with this announcement, EA also announced Scrabble for the DS and PSP, both due out in March of this year. Both versions feature Wi-Fi multiplayer, furthering EA and Hasbro's plans to make family game night less cluttered but more expensive.

EA Delivers Scrabble to Every Major Digital Platform in 2009 and Brings Hasbro Family Favorite Board Game Experiences to Xbox LIVE Arcade

Highly Anticipated Hasbro-Branded Video Games to Be Showcased at Consumer Electronics Show Booth # 72201

2009 International CES
Booth #72201
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Fans of casual, family-friendly games are about to see their circle of fun widen with a slate of new Hasbro-branded digital play experiences on a variety of platforms from Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:ERTS) in 2009. Leading the charge is SCRABBLE, which rocketed to the No. 1 position on Pogo.com™ with more than 2.5 million players laying down virtual tiles since its June 2008 launch. The best-selling crossword puzzle board game is on deck to land on handheld platforms including the Nintendo DS™ and Sony PlayStation®Portable system (PSP®) in March 2009 in the US and Canada. EA is also gearing up to inject nostalgic fun into the Xbox LIVE® Arcade by bringing perennial board game favorites to the popular platform. Under a Hasbro Family Game Night banner, games such as SCRABBLE (US and Canada only), BOGGLE, BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, CONNECT FOUR, SORRY! and SORRY! Sliders will begin to roll out in Spring 2009. EA will showcase the highly anticipated lineup at the Consumer Electronics Show on January 8-11, 2009 in Las Vegas.

“We believe our Hasbro Family Game Night channel on Xbox LIVE Arcade will be one of the most dynamic and fun collections available on the platform,” said Chip Lange, General Manager of EA Hasbro. “We’ve been given the unique opportunity to create an exclusive EA Hasbro branded destination within the Xbox LIVE Arcade so players can easily find and play our lineup of family-friendly digital board games. Just as families have game closets in their home, they will also be able to stock a digital game closet serving up hours of interactive play for kids and adults alike.”

“The consumer response to Hasbro’s brands arriving on digital platforms in such fresh, inventive ways has been incredibly positive,” said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Media and Gaming at Hasbro. “SCRABBLE alone has taken the US and Canadian markets by storm in a very short period of time and we expect the momentum to remain at full throttle through the Nintendo DS and PSP handheld releases and beyond. The level of creativity and meticulous execution that EA has poured into the re-imagination of the SCRABBLE and Hasbro Family Game Night experiences have set the bar very high for the many other games under development, but we’re confident that we’ve just scratched the surface of what digital fun feels, looks and plays like. It’s going to be a very exciting year for casual game fans.”

SCRABBLE on the Nintendo DS and PSP will offer something for every crossword puzzle fan with three modes of play including: Classic, which offers traditional play; Speed, where players race the clock; and, the new fast paced SCRABBLE SLAM card game, where players try to be the first to discard all their SLAM cards by making four letter words. SLAM will be available for the first time digitally on the handheld versions of SCRABBLE. With six difficulty levels, SCRABBLE will serve up a Training mode with six training exercises that enable new or rusty players to polish their skills before their first big showdown. SCRABBLE comes loaded with extras such as SCRABBLE Word Finder and Wi-Fi multiplayer capability (both single and multi-cart play). Debuting in March 2009, the Nintendo DS and PSP games are expected to be rated “E” for Everyone and carry an MSRP of $29.99.

The SCRABBLE Nintendo DS and PSP games will join the roster of previously released versions which have proven to hold great appeal, similar to its board game counterpart. In the past two years, EA launched three separate mobile versions of the game (in the US and Canada only) – including SCRABBLE for the iPod®, iPhone™ and feature phones. Online versions of SCRABBLE also launched on Pogo.com and social networking sites in June 2008. All have been widely adopted and received accolades across platforms.

SCRABBLE was the No. 1 multiplayer game in its launch month, competing against more than 100 other offerings on Pogo.com. In July 2008, more than 5 million SCRABBLE games were played, equating to 4.3 million hours of play.
SCRABBLE for the iPhone and iPod touch launched in July and quickly rose into the top 25 of all applications. Today, out of over 8,000 applications on the App Store, SCRABBLE remains in or near the top 50.

EA and Hasbro will stock Xbox LIVE Arcade with Hasbro Family Game Night, a crowd-pleasing assortment of games that are instantly recognizable household names such as SCRABBLE, CONNECT FOUR, BOGGLE, YAHTZEE, BATTLESHIP, SORRY!, and SORRY! Sliders. All games will feature both original and new ways to play, including a Party Mode that features multiple mini-game versions of each title. Additional customization features will allow players to earn virtual trophies, furniture and themes to decorate their personal virtual game rooms. The Hasbro Family Game Night lineup will take full advantage of Xbox LIVE community features such as online play, Achievements, the ability to launch new games without leaving the environment, and sharing customized space with friends. The EA Hasbro virtual game closet is slated to open in Spring 2009 with multiple games followed by additional releases throughout the year.

Hasbro Family Game Night will include Wii-friendly versions of Connect Four, Sorry, Boggle, Yahtzee, Battleship and Sorry Sliders.

The games are all played on a table in the Hasbro Family Game Night living room, which can be decorated with unlockable themes and items.

I had a chance to check out two of the games during the presentation.

In Connect Four you use your Remote to drop red or black checkers into plastic columns as you try to line-up four of the checkers before the other player does. While you can play with standard rules, the developers also came up with a twist that gives random checkers special power ups, like the ability to lock the other player from dropping checker in a column, or blowing up surrounding pieces.

Sorry Sliders, a new board game soon to be released in toy stores by Hasbro, players swing the remote to slide small Sorry pieces down the board. The object is to try and get the piece to stop as close to the center of the board as possible. Each player takes turns, trying to both slide their pieces into position and knock their opponents pieces away. Each round ends with players using the scored points to move their pieces to home.

I'm not sure if I can see a family gathering around a television to play classic board games, but Hasbro Family Game Night certainly has some potential and, at least initially, seems fun.

The title contains a nice selection of six big-name board game favorites - Battleship, Yahtzee, Boggle, Connect Four, Sorry!, and the all-new Sorry! Sliders, each with its own twist for fresh gameplay. Connect Four gets power chips, Bobble gets portal cubes, etc. As a special added bonus, each game is hosted by Mr. Potato Head. Apparently we needed a host, and he was available.

If you ever wanted to get you parents into gaming, Hasbro Family Game Night will probably be your best chance when it comes out this Fall.

EA BRINGS FAMILY BOARD GAME FAVORITES TO THE WII AND PLAYSTATION 2 WITH HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT VIDEO GAME

Host Interactive Video Game Parties with BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, CONNECT FOUR, and SORRY! from the Comfort of Your Living Room

Guildford, UK. - May 16, 2008 - Join your host MR. POTATO HEAD for fun and games with family and friends like never before. From the Casual Entertainment Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) comes the fun-filled video game HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT, launching Autumn 2008 on Wii™ and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Featuring six games including: BATTLESHIP, YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, CONNECT FOUR, SORRY! and the all new, SORRY! Sliders, HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT is sure to become a valuable family favorite.

With the HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT digital experience, families can enjoy familiar classic Hasbro board games or throw in a fun spin with new versions like CONNECT FOUR Power Chips, BOGGLE Portal Cubes, Reverse YAHTZEE and BATTLESHIP Barrage - which add fresh dimensions and challenges to these legendary favorites. Play with up to four people in YAHTZEE, BOGGLE, SORRY! and SORRY! Sliders or up to two players in CONNECT FOUR and BATTLESHIP.

Players can deck out their very own distinctive digital game room in HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT by choosing a setting and adding earned trophies, cool furniture and decorations all themed to their favorite games. Not only can players customize where they play, but also how they play. HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT features a party mode that gives players the option to build a custom party game by choosing their desired game(s), number of players and setting a time limit. Party mode mini-game challenges include Match the Pattern, Shake for Words and Bomb Run.

"We're giving families a new way to bond and play together," said Chip Lange, Vice President and General Manager of EA's Casual Entertainment Label. "HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT offers parents and their children a digital party experience full of classic brands they know and love. Between original and new rule settings, an easy-to-play party mode and a customizable game room feature, the variety and choice promise hours of fun family play."

"HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT is designed to bring family and friends of all ages together in the digital living room for an evening of 'anything goes' fun," said Mark Blecher, General Manager of Digital Media and Gaming at Hasbro. "Hasbro has been providing families with the best in game play for decades, and now they can enjoy some of our most beloved brands with an all-new digital twist."

For HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT screenshots and assets, please visit www.electronicarts.co.uk/press.

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