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Multimedia Art Program and Competition Celebrates the Artistry of The Sims and Inspires Students to Compete for $36,000 in Total Prizes

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EA Partners With Top Art Schools to Put ''The Sims: in the Hands of Artists''

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2007--Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that the company is teaming up with three art and design schools, Parsons The New School for Design in New York, Academy of Art University in San Francisco and Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles to produce art competitions and exhibitions that will celebrate the art of The Sims. The Sims-inspired artwork provided by the students will include a range of media including: machinima (animated films that use the engine from the video game), paintings, illustrations, sculptural work, fashion designs, cinematography, and interactive displays. The exhibits will be sponsored by Ford Motor Company.

The art on display will be selected from work submitted by students at the three respective schools and juried by representatives from the schools and EA. The Machinima and traditional art will be judged in separate categories with $12,000 of prize money awarded at each school for winning entries.

"The Sims games celebrate creativity--encouraging players to create their own world as they play through the game. We've seen fans make everything from their dream home, to story-driven movies using The Sims as their medium. Putting a creative tool like The Sims in the hands of emerging artists opens up a whole new world of possibilities--we can't wait to see what the students come up with," said Nancy Smith, GM of The Sims Division at Electronic Arts and an avid art collector.

The Sims is one of the world's most popular PC games, selling nearly 85 million games world-wide since it's launch in 2000. It's earned its broad appeal by letting players creatively control the lives of characters in their own virtual world.

"EA has long recognized the artistic talent of the students at Parsons the New School for Design, Academy of Art University and Otis College of Art and Design. This program is the perfect way to celebrate The Sims games across a variety of art forms," said Jack Lew, Global University Relations Manager for Art Talent at EA. "And true to the Sims franchise, 'The Sims: In the Hands of Artists' exhibits will demonstrate self expression and creativity."

For more information, including rules and regulations, dates and locations please visit www.TheSims2.com/HandsOfArtists

Exhibition Dates

-- April 19th - May 12th: Parsons The New School for Design at
the Chelsea Art Museum
-- June 26th - July 19th: 79 Gallery at Academy of Art
University, San Francisco
-- July 14th - August 11th: Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of
Art and Design, Los Angeles

If you play piano and love the music from Seasons then we have a treat for you! You can download your own copy of the sheet music for Seasons from the Get Cool Stuff section today!

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The Sims 2 Seasons Soundtrack To Include Simlish Versions of Songs from Lily Allen, The Veronicas, The String Cheese Incident and More!

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Hit Songs Are Always In Season For The Sims

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - March 7, 2007 - Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today revealed the impressive soundtrack for The Sims™ 2 Seasons. Fans of The Sims games will be thrilled to learn they can hear their favorite musical acts--artists like Lily Allen, The Veronicas and The String Cheese Incident--reinterpret favorite hits in Simlish, the native language of The Sims. The Sims is the blockbuster video game franchise that celebrates self-expression through virtual, everyday life.

"Recording "SMILE" was a great experience for me. Sometimes revenge can be fun," said Lily Allen. "But getting to sing it again--IN SIMLISH--came very naturally and it was hilarious to practice! The silly language and whimsy of The Sims games are a perfect fit for the song. I was laughing the entire time!"

"Being well-versed in improvisation, we felt up for the challenge of re-recording our song, 'Close Your Eyes' in Simlish. The Sims' language may be a bit unfamiliar, but musically it actually translates fairly smoothly; its cadence is quite musical," said Kyle Hollingsworth of The String Cheese Incident.

"EA leads the industry in creating groundbreaking music for our top-selling titles, and The Sims is perhaps the most unique opportunity in the world today. It takes a special kind of artist to accept the challenge and have fun with the experience. Lily Allen, The Veronicas and String Cheese Incident all brought tremendous creativity and enthusiasm to their sessions, and the result is some of the most surprising songs yet in a Sims game. We're proud to have their hits in 'Simlish' for our worldwide audience of more than 85 million Sims fans," said Steve Schnur, Executive of Worldwide Music and Marketing at EA.

Fans are encouraged to check out Simlish tracks of The String Cheese Incident, The Veronicas, as well as a Sims-animated video for Lily Allen's "Smile" by visiting www.thesims2.com.

The Sims 2 Seasons Soundtrack
Government Mule - Mr. High And Mighty
Lily Allen - Smile
moe. - Blue Jeans Pizza
Tata Young - Zoom
The Breadbox Band - N
The Chris McCarty Band - The Next One
The String Cheese Incident - Close Your Eyes
The Veronicas - When It All Falls Apart

The Sims 2 Seasons will build on the celebrated The Sims 2 experience that allows players to create and control virtual characters throughout their lives while determining the outcome of their relationships and choosing their destiny. The Sims 2 Seasons allows players to enjoy all four seasons with their Sims - whether your Sims are making snow angels in the fresh winter snow, playing a game of Marco Polo on a hot summer day or jumping into leaf piles during a brisk autumn afternoon, the variety of seasonal activities are guaranteed to add a fresh, new layer of fun for your Sims! The stunning visual effects of winter, spring, summer and fall not only deliver unique benefits to The Sims 2 gameplay, but also impact your Sims relationships, moods, skills, wants and fears. The cure for winter blues can be found in building snowmen and ice skating, while summer sun provides a great excuse to hit the pool--just be careful not to get heat stroke! Because each season unfolds differently, players are guaranteed a fresh experience year after year!

The Sims 2 Seasons shipped in Europe on February 23 and across the US on February 27 as a PC expansion pack* that builds on the original The Sims 2 PC game experience.

Product Specifications
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts Redwood Shores
Ship Date: February 27th, 2006 (NA, Europe):
? PC expansion pack*
Category: Simulation/Strategy
ESRB Rating: "T" (Teen)
PEGI Rating : 12 +

*Requires The Sims™ 2, The Sims™ 2 Special DVD Edition or The Sims™ 2 Holiday Edition to play.