NEW YORK (AP) - Following in the footsteps of Nintendo's popular "Wii Fit,"
the video game publisher known for the "Madden" football games is jumping into
fitness software targeted mostly at women.
Electronic Arts Inc. was set to announce Thursday a new line, EA Sports
Active, that runs on the Nintendo Wii console and aims to complement, not
compete with, Nintendo's "Wii Fit" exercise title.
Peter Moore, president of EA Sports, called the Active brand, whose first
title, "EA Sports Active," launches next March, a "somewhat radical departure
from the normal game experiences we provide customers."
EA's sports audience has been mostly young men, who have flocked to
football, soccer, basketball and hockey titles to make the company the world's
dominant player in sports video games.
But to stay competitive with rivals such as Activision Blizzard Inc., whose
success with games like "World of Warcraft" and "Rock Band" seems to be
weathering the recession, EA needs to continue to expand its audience.
The company's new brand seeks to take advantage of the popularity of the
Nintendo console and of exercise games. While the "Wii Fit" is already
enormously popular, Moore, a former physical-education teacher, said EA's sports
software will run people through an exercise routine with a more Western
approach than the Japanese company's product.
"Wii Fit" includes activities like running, skiing as well as yoga, and it
emphasizes balance as well as fitness. EA's products will include exercises like
running and lunges, as well as simulations of sports such as tennis.
The games use straps to attach the Wii's controller and "nunchuk" attachment
to a player's body, so the fitness routines can be performed without holding the
controls. EA also plans to include peripherals such as resistance bands. Titles
in the line will cost about $60, the same as a regular video game.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
Copyright 2008 AFX News Limited. All Rights Reserved.