What will companies do next? Gaming on your wrist watch?


Electronic Arts Inc announced today it will publish two FIFA 2002 World Cup titles. The titles will be available to Orange Group customers throughout Europe with the UK, France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland launching elements of the FIFA games this summer.

The games will be available in both Short Messaging Service (SMS) and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) versions, as well as a colour WAP version designed to take advantage of new color-screen handsets. The games being published in cooperation with Digital Bridges are among the first FIFA branded games to be available via mobile phones, and with the distribution from Orange, it will allow the games to reach an enormous audience, encompassing an extremely broad cross-section of mobile phone owners outside the traditional gaming market.

The first FIFA 2002 World Cup game is a simple yet addictive game for one or two players. The game places the player/s in the boots of one of the national teams competing in the FIFA 2002 World Cup Korea/Japan, with the option of playing either a quick single match or joining the tournament at the beginning and attempting to take the team all the way to the FIFA World Cup final at Yokohama. Players must use their skill and judgement to make attacking moves such as passing and volleying in an attempt to score, while defending players can tackle or intercept the ball. The game will allow players to set up their own private FIFA World Cup competitions with up to eight individual players, allowing a group of friends to play against each other. Alternatively players can compete against a randomly chosen opponent.

The second FIFA 2002 World Cup game is a single player game that fulfills the dream of all armchair coaches. The game, played against computer-controlled teams in simulated real time, allows the user full control of the national team of his or her choice, with the ability to select the starting 11 players from the 23 picked by each country. The new manager must then organise training, set formations and pick tactics. As the tournament continues the individual players within each team can develop their soccer skills or suffer from injuries. This will be the ultimate game for those who know they can do better than the national coach.

Source: Press Release