Electronic Arts has confirmed what everyone was whispering about and has announced that it has reached an agreement with Microsoft that will allow players of EA SPORTS and EA GAMES titles to compete and play online through Xbox Live. Players will have access to voice communication, tournaments, ladders and all the fun of online play. Terms of the agreement were not released.
The first game to include Xbox Live capability will be NCAA Football 2005, scheduled for release in July. Madden NFL 2005, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2005, NASCAR 2005: Chase For The Cup, NBA LIVE 2005, NHL 2005, and NCAA March Madness 2005 will follow. EA GAMES titles on Xbox Live include GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, Need for Speed Underground 2, Battlefield: Modern Combat, Burnout 3 and TimeSplitters Future Perfect.
Getting EA on board is a major boost to the XBox Live service and all titles will feature the usual Xbox Live experience. EA Xbox Live features include Quickmatch and Optimatch, as well as supporting current Xbox Live Gamertags and voice communication. EA also will support the existing Xbox Live friends list, and additionally offer the EA Messenger service for easy communication amongst other Xbox Live friends.
