EA To Release Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Game on Next-Gen Consoles

Best-Selling Game Adds New Features for First-Ever Next-Gen Version

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 3, 2003--For the first time ever, Harry Potter(TM) fans will be able to experience the magic of Harry's first year at Hogwarts(TM) with next-generation graphics and updated gameplay in the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone(TM) game from Electronic Arts. EA's UK Studio, the team behind the worldwide success of the original Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(TM) games, which together have sold over 20 million copies worldwide, joins Warthog Games in developing the title for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, and Nintendo GameCube(TM). The game is scheduled for release in the fall of 2003 under the EA GAMES(TM) brand.

Continuing the successful game design style first used in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the graphics and gameplay for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone -- previously available for the PlayStation game console, PC, Game Boy® Advance, and Game Boy Color -- are updated for next-generation consoles for an even richer experience in Hogwarts year one. Making the most of new technology, the locations in and around Hogwarts and Diagon Alley(TM) are displayed in spectacular 3D graphics.

Players take the role of Harry Potter as he arrives for his first year at Hogwarts and embarks on a journey to unravel the mystery of the Sorcerer's Stone. An adventure full of fun and magic, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone allows players to explore a variety of multi-layered 3D environments. The game includes encounters with many of the characters familiar to readers of the fiction, including Harry's best friends Ron Weasley(TM) and Hermione Granger(TM), Rubeus Hagrid(TM), Professor Dumbledore(TM), and his nemesis Draco Malfoy(TM).