Their victories come on the heels of a three week voting contest that sparked debates amongst golf enthusiasts and campaigning by the world’s top golfers through their personal social media channels. During the final week of voting, Rickie Fowler defeated Bubba Watson by a final margin of 51% to 49% to win the American side of the bracket in the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 Match Play cover vote, while Rory McIlroy defeated Luke Donald by a final margin of 54% to 46%  to win the European side.

Similar to previous EA SPORTS cover athlete votes for Madden NFL and NCAA Football, community reaction to the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 Match Play cover vote was overwhelmingly positive for providing fans an opportunity to decide who they think should be on the cover.  Showing tremendous enthusiasm and engagement throughout the three week contest, fans cast more than 250,000 votes from over 35 countries around the world.

“Over the past several weeks we’ve been thrilled to witness the passion of our fans for this competition as well as the golfers who have actively rallied their fan base for this unique honor,” EA SPORTS Marketing Director Craig Evans said. “Fan engagement has been critical to the development and success of the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR franchise over the past decade and it’s great to see so many fans excited about the cover vote and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13.”

From October 3 through October 24, fans of the Tiger Woods PGA TOURFacebook page participated in a “match play” style cover vote, choosing from 16 of the best golfers from around the world to find both an American and European representative to join Tiger Woods on the cover of the next iteration of the popular golf franchise in their respective region.

“Appearing on the cover of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11 was an amazing experience and helped introduce me to a whole new fan base around the world,” said Rory McIlroy. “But this year holds special meaning because it was the fans who decided to put me on the cover once again.”

“For someone that grew up playing Tiger Woods PGA TOUR and is a huge fan of the franchise, this is a great moment in my career,” said Rickie Fowler. “I’m excited to join Tiger on the cover of this year’s game and want to especially thank all of my fans who spread the word and voted for me.”

Cover art for Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13, featuring Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy alongside Tiger Woods in their respective regions, will be released in November.

“There have been a number of great young and up-and-coming golfers to join the sport over the last few years and Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy are certainly on that list,” said Tiger Woods. “Their wins are a testament to their passionate fan base and I’m looking forward to having Rickie and Rory join me on the cover of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13.”

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13 will once again provide fans the opportunity to play on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club and will feature all-new experiences around Tiger Woods’ memorable golf accomplishments throughout his lifetime and will be the first controller-free, voice-enabled and body tracking sports simulation game to support the Kinect™ motion control system for the Xbox 360® videogame system from Microsoft.

In addition to the standard edition game, there will also be a Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13: The Masters Collector’s Edition available as well.  This collector’s edition will have its own unique box art and expanded features including all the courses and features available in the standard edition, plus five additional golf courses, Augusta National’s world-class Tournament Practice Facility, and much more.

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From October 3 through 23, fans can participate in a match play bracket-style voting campaign on www.facebook.com/tigerwoodspgatour and choose among 16 golfers who in total have amassed over 100 combined PGA Tour and European Tour victories, multiple rookie and player of the year awards and four major wins – including the last two US Open champions.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, which launches in March 2012, will have two versions of the box art – one to appear in North America and one in Europe.  Eight American golfers will be featured on one side of the bracket and eight European golfers on the opposite side, with two golfers going head-to-head each week until a winner is determined on each side.  The winners will be announced via Facebook on October 24.

On the American side of the bracket, the candidates include:
·        Ben Crane
·        Rickie Fowler
·        Jim Furyk
·        Dustin Johnson
·        Zach Johnson
·        Hunter Mahan
·        Rocco Mediate
·        Bubba Watson
On the European side of the bracket, the candidates include:
·        Paul Casey
·        Luke Donald
·        Ross Fisher
·        Graeme McDowell
·        Rory McIlroy
·        Edoardo Molinari
·        Ian Poulter
·        Justin Rose

Candidates were selected and seeded based on a combination of the Official World Golf Rankings, the FedExCup Rankings/Race to Dubai Rankings and “Fandom” rankings.  Fandom rank is a combination of Twitter followers, Facebook fans and traffic to each golfer’s official website.

Community reaction to previous EA Sports cover athlete votes with Madden NFL 12 and NCAA Football 12 have been overwhelmingly positive for providing an opportunity for fans to have a voice on who they think should be on the cover of their favorite sports video games.

The PGA Tour and EA Sports have shared a 22-year partnership and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 will feature many of the best championship courses from the PGA Tour tournament schedule, as well as all-new experiences around Tiger Woods’ memorable accomplishments throughout his lifetime.

Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament will again be included in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13, and in addition, there will be a special Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13: The Masters Collector’s Edition available as well.  This collector’s edition will have its own unique box art and expanded features including all the courses and features available in the standard edition, plus five additional golf courses, Augusta National’s world-class Tournament Practice Facility, and much more.

Finally, both the standard and collector’s edition of the game will be the first controller-free, voice-enabled and body tracking sports simulation game to support the Xbox 360 Kinect motion control system.

Over the past two decades, EA Sports has introduced a series of immersive and authentic golf experiences across a variety of game platforms that has helped expand the popularity of the sport amongst fans. The EA Sports golf product portfolio includes the award-winning Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Online and EA Sports PGA Tour Golf Challenge for Facebook.

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By visiting www.ufc.com/ufcundisputed3 gamers and UFC fighting fans may choose from one of five renowned UFC fighters – UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones or UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez – to appear on the front cover of the videogame. Vote now at www.ufc.com/ufcundisputed3 and view the new trailer below:-

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Hillis, a No. 10 seed, defeated former Madden NFL 04 cover athlete and No. 3 seed Michael Vick (QB, Eagles) in the finals of an unprecedented campaign with ESPN.com and SportsNation that allowed fans to determine, by an online vote that was open to the public, the player to be featured on the cover ofMadden NFL 12 when the game launches in the UK Autumn 2011 .

More than 12.7 million votes were logged overall in the campaign which ran from March 21 – April 27 through ESPNSportsNation.com online and via the mobile Web, the most ever for an ESPN poll or vote. With deep integrations across multiple ESPN platforms, including TV, radio, online, mobile, social media, ESPN Deportes and more, Hillis defeated Vick by a final margin of 66% to 34%. Fans rallied behind Hillis as he continually ousted higher seeded players in the bracket-style voting campaign, including No. 7 seed Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens), No. 2 seed Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons), No. 6 seed Jamaal Charles (Kansas City Chiefs), and No. 1 seed Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers).

“Our fans have responded in record-setting fashion to honor Peyton Hillis, and we’re extremely pleased to welcome him into an exclusive fraternity of NFL players to appear on the cover of the Madden NFLfranchise,” said Anthony Stevenson, Senior Product Manager of EA SPORTS. “This year’s cover voting campaign with ESPN has sparked incredible debate and conversation amongst fans and NFL players, which is a testament to the interest in and anticipation for Madden NFLeach year.  The amount of support that Hillis generated nationally and within his home market of Cleveland was truly impressive. ”

“This has been a humbling experience and I want to thank all the fans in Cleveland and throughout the country that got behind me and voted each and every week,” said Peyton Hillis, running back for the Cleveland Browns and the fourth running back to appear on the cover of the Madden NFL franchise. “I’ve been playing Madden NFL for ten years, and it’s a dream to know that I’ll be on the cover of this great game.  I’m looking forward to another big season with the Browns to show fans how much we appreciate them.”

In celebration of Hillis’ victory and to officially kick off the Madden NFL 12 season, EA SPORTS hosted an event for fans in the middle of New York City’s Times Square today featuring a photo shoot and a first preview of Madden NFL 12. One image from the photo shoot with Hillis will appear on the cover of this year’s game.

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For the first time in a decade Andre Agassi will feature in an interactive entertainment experience for the current console generation. Top Spin 4 is planned for release on March 18, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

“It’s great to be included in  Top Spin 4 with such a unique line up of tennis players, past and present,” said 23 year old Andy Murray, British No. 1 and World No. 5 player. “It’s exciting that 2K Sports is giving gamers the chance to face off against different pros in realistic and detailed  interactive matches.”

In development at 2K Czech, Top Spin 4 brings the competitive action of tennis to life like never before with redesigned controls, jaw-dropping player models and enhanced TV-style presentation elements. Each of the title’s top athletes and legendary pros will be equipped with 2K Sports’ Signature Style animations, including player-specific swing styles and behavioral AI, custom celebrations and outfits.

“Top Spin 4 does a phenomenal job capturing the unique authenticity and highly competitive skills of these 25 world-class athletes,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “When playing Top Spin 4, we wanted consumers to feel they are playing more than a tennis game, we wanted them to feel like they are in a world title prize fight.”

Top Spin 4 features the largest roster in the franchise to date, including Andre Agassi, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Jim Courier, Rafael Nadal, Boris Becker, Serena Williams, Patrick Rafter, Michael Chang, Dinara Safina, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic, Ivan Lendel, Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Caroline Wozniacki, Nikolay Davydenko, Gilles Simon, Bernard Tomic, Eugenie Bouchard, Stanislas Wawrinka, Vera Zvonareva, and Jelena Jankovic.

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The art style, featuring a highly-stylised, three-panel, iconic image of Jordan, represents a departure from previous NBA 2K titles to reflect the significance of having the greatest player of all time grace the cover.

“We knew as soon as we signed Jordan that we needed to do something special for the cover,” said Jason Argent, Vice President Of Marketing for 2K Sports. “This could possibly be the most highly anticipated cover art in the history of sports games and we think the image we came up with delivers on every front. I think fans will be pleasantly surprised at how Jordan is actually used in game, as NBA 2K11 will pay homage to ‘His Airness’ in many ways, but the cover art represented our first chance to stop and honor him along the way.”

“It’s exciting to see it all come together,” said Michael Jordan, a recent Hall of Fame inductee. “I am looking forward to seeing the final product, but my kids might have to give me some lessons.”

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The Madden NFL 11 cover announcement is the result of a first-ever online consumer vote, powered by the Doritos “Change the Game” program, which empowered fans to select the highly-debated cover athlete. The partnership between EA SPORTS™ and the Doritos brand represents the first in a series of initiatives this year which allow fans to help shape the future of the franchise.

Doritos “Change the Game” allowed fans to submit their vote online, with Drew Brees winning over Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne.

“The Madden NFL franchise holds a special place in popular culture and the cover is a coveted position for players all over the league,” said New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees. “I’m honored to be the first cover athlete chosen by Madden NFL fans and it’s a great way to cap off an amazing year for the Saints and the city of New Orleans.”

From February 4 – March 15, fans logged on to www.doritoschangethegame.com to vote daily for one of the three nominees. Voters were also entered into a drawing for a chance to win a trip to the 2010 NFL Draft. During the voting period, former NFL all-stars and Madden NFL cover legends Eddie George, Marshall Faulk and Shaun Alexander were featured on limited-edition Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch Doritos bags to inspire fans to vote for the next Madden NFL cover athlete.

“Drew’s exceptional performance during the regular season and in Super Bowl XLIV resonated with voters and helped cement his position as the fans’ choice to grace the cover of Madden NFL 11,” said Todd Sitrin, Group Vice President, EA SPORTS Global Marketing. “Giving fans the power to select this year’s Madden NFL cover underscores our commitment to connecting with our fans and giving them opportunities to influence the game.”

“Doritos is always looking for unprecedented opportunities to provide our fans access to the things they are most passionate about, and we are thrilled we were able to partner with EA SPORTS to give consumers complete control over this highly anticipated gaming moment,” said Rudy Wilson, vice president, marketing, Frito Lay.

Drew Brees was named Super Bowl XLIV MVP after leading the New Orleans Saints to their first ever Super Bowl title. Following a career threatening injury during his last season with the San Diego Chargers, Brees joined the New Orleans Saints in 2005, less than a year after Hurricane Katrina. Since then, Brees has helped rebuild the city and the football team, through his successes on the field and contributions to the community off the field.

Brees’s decorated NFL career has included four Pro Bowl selections, three All Pro selections, three NFC Offensive Player of the Year awards, the Associated Press 2008 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the Pro Football Weekly 2004 Comeback Player of the Year. Off the field, Brees has been a champion as well through his charity – the Brees Dream Foundation – and his work in the New Orleans, San Diego and West Lafayette/Purdue, Ind. communities, which have provided over $4,500,000 to charitable causes and academic institutions.

Beyond the cover athlete selection, the franchise has also recently introduced two new initiatives that further enable fans to influence Madden NFL 11. From March 31 – April 26, fans have had the ability to vote on three match-ups through the Madden NFL website and determine which teams would be featured in the Madden NFL 11 game demo: a Super Bowl rematch, or a replay of one of the Conference Championship games. During the 2010 NFL Draft, fans will have the opportunity to influence rookie player ratings in Madden NFL 11 via online votes on the Madden NFL website.

Madden NFL 11 will redefine videogame football for both veteran and rookie players by providing a Simpler, Quicker and Deeper experience:
• Simpler: Call plays like an NFL coach with ease using an all-new play-calling system, GameFlow, which executes an authentic, situational game plan for you.
• Quicker: The new play-calling system will enable players to spend more time on the field and less in the playbook – completing games in half of the time.
• Deeper: Madden NFL 11 is feature-rich, with improved animations and control options, enhanced online functionality, and new broadcast and audio presentation that delivers the NFL experience fans have come to expect.

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To celebrate the announcement, Codemasters has today released the first gameplay video for International Cricket 2010, featuring Stuart Broad and other stars in action is available to view at www.codemasters.com/cricket.

Stuart Broad is the fast rising star of English cricket and set to lead the bowling attack in this summer’s fixtures against Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh. A key member of England’s Ashes winning side of 2009, his man of the match performance against Australia at the Brit Oval saw him take 5 for 37 in the deciding test as he emerged as one of the world’s leading bowlers.

“It’s fantastic for me to follow in the footsteps of legends like Brian Lara and feature on the front of a Codemasters cricket game,” said England star Stuart Broad. “I’m a huge gamer so it’s exciting to be involved with Codemasters, who have always produced the most authentic and realistic cricket games. When I’m away with the team tour, playing games on our consoles is a great way to pass the time and enjoy some banter. I can’t wait to take on the rest of the lads – and beat them – in International Cricket 2010!”

“Stuart Broad has established himself as one of the most exciting players in world cricket and we’re delighted to sign him up to feature on the front of the pack,” added John Szoke, Producer, Codemasters.

Produced by Codemasters and developed by Trickstar Games, International Cricket 2010 steps up to the crease with a range of innovations and improvements including a new player and AI confidence system. In International Cricket 2010 as in real life, confidence is key to success. In the test format of the game, gamers must play themselves in as batsmen and build momentum as bowlers, improving their ability to play advanced shots and take wickets. In shorter formats of the game, confidence can be gained and lost much more quickly as players look to take advantage of the pressurised conditions.

Other key enhancements include ‘Action Cam’, the new camera that takes players right onto the pitch, and ‘Power Stick’ which gives 360° degree batting control to ensure International Cricket 2010 will deliver the most authentic interactive cricket experience ever.

Officially licensed by the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia to feature official players, stadia and kits, International Cricket 2010 can be enjoyed in a wide range of game modes including new instant tournaments, full test series and quick-fire Twenty20 matches. Gamers can compete as any of the expanded roster of 16 nations at an improved selection of 21 stadia around the world, including Lord’s, the Home of Cricket.

Complete with local and online multiplayer, International Cricket 2010 launches this summer for Xbox 360 and PS3.

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Kesler, a vital member of the upstart 2010 U.S. Olympic hockey team, captured the collective attention of sports fans around the world with his gritty and awe-inspiring performance, and will now look to bring the same electrifying play to NHL 2K11.

“Having the opportunity to participate in the Olympics and play in front of my home crowd was one of the best experiences of my life. To now be chosen as the next cover athlete for NHL 2K11 is another dream come true,” said Kesler, alternate captain for the Vancouver Canucks. “It was awesome to work with 2K Sports last year on the NHL 2K10 commercial shoot and the outdoor motion capture session on the Las Vegas strip was incredible to be a part of. I’m looking forward to having just as much fun again, and helping them make another great hockey game this year.”

Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 2003 as the 23rd overall pick in the first round, Kesler has spent his entire five-year NHL career with the Canucks. As a 2009 Selke Trophy finalist, awarded annually to the top defensive player in the league, Kesler has blossomed into one of the most feared and relentless players on the ice. Best known as a two-way forward, Kesler also set personal statistical records last season with 26 goals and 33 assists. He was honored with the Cyclone Taylor award last year as team MVP and has helped to lead the Canucks this year to the top of the Northwest division.

“Ryan is one of the most talented and exciting players to watch in the NHL today and his popularity has grown exponentially since the recent success of Team USA at the Winter Olympics,” said Greg Thomas, senior vice president of sports development for 2K. “We’re thrilled to have him represent NHL 2K11 and wish him the best of luck through the rest of this season.”

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