Third Annual EA SPORTS Madden Challenge Kicks off August 14 to Determine the Nation’s Best Madden NFL 2005 Player

32-city, nationwide tournament culminates in Las Vegas with a $50,000 grand prize; NCAA Football Challenge Debuts on 16 College Campuses

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – August 4, 2004 – Celebrating Madden NFLTM Football’s 15 years of football leadership, Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS) announced the locations for the 2004 EA SPORTS™ Madden Challenge, the only EA officially sanctioned 32-city consumer tournament to decide the best player of the top-selling video game franchise in North America. The winner from each city will advance to the Finals at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 11. The winner of the 2004 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge will receive a prize package, including a check for $50,000. Last year, over 16,000 competitors battled across the nation to determine the best Madden competitor. David “Sandman” Seitchick from Buffalo, New York, took home the $50,000 grand prize at the Las Vegas finals.

The 2004 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge will test the skills of thousands of consumers on Madden NFL 2005, the newest iteration of the most authentic football videogame. The game ships August 9th and will be in-stores everywhere by August 12. Madden NFL 2005 focuses on defense this year with the new Hit Stick, delivering the power to take control of the game with hard hits and crucial tackles that change the momentum of the game. Along with improved defensive AI and in-game defensive playmaker controls, Madden NFL 2005 is the only complete football game on the market and proves now why “Defense Wins Championships.”

The 2004 EA SPORTS Madden Challenge schedule:

Saturday, August 14 Minneapolis The Metrodome

Sunday, August 15 Green Bay Lambeau Field Atrium

Saturday, August 21 Chicago Navy Pier Grand Ballroom

Sunday, August 22 Indianapolis Castleton Square

Saturday, August 28 Detroit Great Lakes Crossing

Sunday, August 29 Cleveland Cleveland Browns Stadium

Saturday, September 4 Cincinnati Great American Ballpark

Sunday, September 5 Pittsburgh Heinz Field

Saturday, September 11 Buffalo Walden Galleria Mall

Sunday, September 12 Boston Gillette Stadium

Friday-Saturday, September 17-18 New York South Street Seaport

Sunday, September 19 Philadelphia Gallery at Market East

Saturday, September 25 Washington DC Union Station

Sunday, September 26 Charlotte Concord Mills

Saturday, October 2 Atlanta Lenox Square

Sunday, October 3 Jacksonville The Avenues

Saturday, October 9 Miami Bayside Marketplace

Sunday, October 10 Tampa Raymond James Stadium

Saturday, October 16 Nashville Opry Mills

Sunday, October 17 St. Louis Union Station

Saturday, October 23 New Orleans Riverwalk Marketplace

Sunday, October 24 Houston Houston Galleria

Saturday, October 30 Dallas Valley View Center

Sunday, October 31 San Antonio The River Walk

Friday-Saturday, November 5-6 Kansas City Westport

Sunday, November 7 Denver Cherry Creek Shopping Center

Saturday, November 13 Phoenix McDuffy’s in Downtown Tempe

Sunday, November 14 Las Vegas Fashion Show

Saturday, November 20 San Diego Mission Valley

Sunday, November 21 Los Angeles Third Street Promenade

Friday-Saturday, November 26-27 Seattle Qwest Field

Sunday, November 28 San Francisco SBC Park

Saturday, December 11 (Finals) Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Hotel

The NCAA Football Challenge, a highly-competitive, 16-campus tournament to decide the nation’s best EA SPORTS NCAA Football player kicks off on Tuesday, August 31 at University of Notre Dame. Other campuses include: Purdue University (9/1), Penn State University (9/10), University of Maryland (9/22), University of Virginia (9/23), Florida State University (10/6), University of Miami (10/7), University of Georgia (10/12), Clemson University (10/14), Louisiana State University (10/21), University of Texas (10/27), Oklahoma University (11/2), University of Nebraska (11/4), Arizona State University (11/12), USC (11/16) and University of California-Berkeley (12/2). The winner of the December 11 Finals in Las Vegas will receive a $10,000 check for the grand prize. All information is up at www.ncaafootballchallengecom.

The EA SPORTS Madden Challenge participating sponsors are Best Buy, Reebok and Champs. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to NFL Youth Education Town (YET), an official NFL charity that provides high-tech educational and recreational centers designed to improve the academic, physical fitness, and job-related skills of at-risk youth.

For all the EA SPORTS Madden Challenge information, including Tournament Official Rules and online registration, players can go to www.maddenchallenge.com, the official EA SPORTS Madden Challenge website. Competitors will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis. General online registration will be open on a region-by-region basis during two weeks before each city’s competition date and will close approximately four days before each competition. Walk-in, on-site tournament registration will be accepted on the day of each city’s competition as space permits.

EA SPORTS™ is the leading interactive sports software brand in the world. Its top-selling titles and franchises include Madden NFL™ Football, FIFA Soccer, NHL®, NBA LIVE basketball, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®, MVP Baseball™, NCAA® Football and NASCAR® racing. The EA SPORTS home page is www.easports.com.